The entertainment was more upscale than we've seen for street performers. First to perform were 5 classical musicians playing Mozart and Vivaldi--they were marvelous. They perform for the opportunity to sell their CD (10 pounds sterling) and pick up change. The crowd was generous. After them we listened to an opera singer, quite talented and moving, but alas, her voice didn't project very well in this outdoor space. Somewhere between the market and the singers Stu and I separated. I found him 30 minutes later engaged in a deep discussion with one of the street cleaners. Stuart was educating his new friend on the variety of scenery in Arizona and then they shared political views. We are continually finding Londoners friendly, open to conversation, curious about us and our travels, and willing to share their thoughts on life in Britain.
From Covent Garden we walked back to Trafalgar Square to visit the National Gallery. Imagine sitting in a room surrounded by Monet, Manet, Cezanne, and Van Gogh! It is suggested that these are the secondary works of these great impressionists, and that may well be true, but there was something magical about being there, in a free museum that is truly about the people. We're certain there's plenty of security, but you never feel it. No uniformed guards standing at attention, no obvious alarms or wires. Of course the paintings are faced with museum glass to protect them, but you can go within inches of a painting before anyone approaches you. We wondered, sitting and looking at the Van Gogh Sunflowers, if any of these artists would be considered great if they were painting now, if they didn't already have a name that attracted millions for each painting? If Van Gogh's Sunflowers and other paintings, completed while he was in St. Remy (sp?) under psychiatric care, wouldn't have been considered the work of a quack. We loved the atmosphere of the galleries, the majesty of the rooms, the familiar artists, and the many people enjoying the museum. There was an art class, with instructor, copying a Renoir. This is a very lived in museum.
Trafalgar Square continues to enchant us. There's always hundreds of people about. Thursday afternoon an orator was speaking for hours (he was there when we entered the museum, and still talking when we left) about the Bible and its preachings. No one appeared to be listening, but it didn't matter. On another day I saw a falconer with two falcons, the humane way London keeps the pigeon population at bay. This morning it was a man walking his pet ferret, the ferret was on leash. The street entertainment is unending, and ever changing, and undisturbed by the police. While there is security, and a police presence, even a uniformed military presence in a few spots, Britain has been on high alert since 9/11 and more so now since Bin Laden's death, they are always approachable.
Thursday night we saw the new London production of War Horse. It is sold out, every seat was occupied, and we were delighted to be able to find two tickets--last row balcony. It was an amazing production which we are still discussing. The main characters are a horse, Joey, and its young owner, Andrew. The horses in the show are controlled by puppet masters who are always on stage. At first, you notice them, 3 puppeteers per horse, but after a while the horses come to life. We were glad to have seen the show, and were surprisingly touched by the performance, but would not likely see it again. If you have the chance, it just began in New York, do see it. War Horse is worth the price of the tickets.
Stu and Adrienne
No comments:
Post a Comment