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April 12th - Day 3
April 12th - Day 3
After a lovely visit and overnight stay with Aaron and Sophie Vallance and their two sons, who live in Southfield London, we took the Tube to view part of the vast collection of classic paintings at the National Gallery, listened to a lovely concert at St Martin in the Fields, and visited the the Natural History Museum nearby.
After a lovely visit and overnight stay with Aaron and Sophie Vallance and their two sons, who live in Southfield London, we took the Tube to view part of the vast collection of classic paintings at the National Gallery, listened to a lovely concert at St Martin in the Fields, and visited the the Natural History Museum nearby.
St. Martin in the Fields. The traditional stone exterior masks the very modern initiatives that it has led as a church in recent years.
The clear glass windows are rich in symbolism. We heard a concert by a young British-Chinese artist, Michael Lan, who performed the Gavotte by Rameau, and Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition. The latter work was passionately played, fitting for a work that was written in memory of Mussorgsky's best friend, an artist, who has passed away the year before,
Arched ceiling in the Crypt at St. Martins in the Field, now transformed into a busy, and rather unusual cafeteria (see photo to the right!), serving thousands of customers below the church.
Tombstones from the early 1800's line the floor of the crypt, incorporated into restorations at the church when a cafeteria was built. The tombs have long since been removed.
The great hall at the Natural History Museum, where a massive skeleton of a blue whale, brought here after it was stranded in 1891 in Wexford Harbour, Ireland.
An Ichythyosaur, which lived about 180 million years ago. The female Ichthyosaur has the broken skeletons of three unborn children in her abdomen. A fourth is located just below her tail, suggesting that it was born tail first just before the mother died.
One of the most moving exhibits of the Natural History Museum was the Wildlife Photographer of the Year, a series of photographs from over 45,000 entries in 95 countries.
This photo, by Ricardo Montero, from Spain, was taken in Uganda, of Kurirwa, a young mountain gorilla., mourning the loss of her baby. Initially, she cuddled and groomed the tiny corpse carrying it piggyback like other mothers. From elephants stroking the bones of deceased family memers to dolphins trying to keep dead companions afloat, there is an abundance of evidence to show that animals visible express grief. Kurirwa's initial actions can be interpreted as mourning, her behavior showing the pain of a mother who has lost her child.
At the Natural History Museum
The Natural History Museum has a worldwide collection of rocks and precious metals, including this massive meteorite. Discovered in 1783 in Argentina, it weighs over 1400 pounds.
Garden at Leicester Square
Street musician in the London Tube
A restaurant near Leicester Square, inspired by the 1994 film Forrest Gump.
The National Art Gallery, founded in 1824, hosts a collection of over 2,300 paintings from the mid-13th century to 1900.
Degas: After the Bath, Woman Drying Herself, painted around 1890-1895. There's more about this painting, and a number of other in the photo folder, below.
Monet: The Water Lily Pond, 1899. Monet found subject matter for his paintings in gardens at his home in Giverney, France.
Portrait of Hermine Gallia by Klimt, 1904. Klimt painted a number of portraits of women in Vienna, the most famous of whom was Adele Bloch-Bauer I , called The Lady in Gold . In this portrait, Hermine Gallia is wearing a dress designed by Klimt.
Just as we exited the concert at St. Martins in the Fields, a huge, peaceful demonstration consisting of people of all ages passed in front of the church, on the way to Trafalgar. Signs, nearly all of which were handmade with personal messages, advocated for action to be done in order to prevent climate change.
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