It's Easter Monday the last day of a long weekend and guess what, I'm up at 6. Yep, 6 a.m. At 6:30 I'm downstairs actually waiting for the restaurant to open so that I can have breakfast. Having eaten, packed and checked out I'm out on the road at just after 7:45.
I've decided to spend a couple more hours driving round, rather than walking, Poplar, Bethnal Green and Stepney - taking photographs of churches, schools and a convent that I can upload into my family history programme. I also take photographs of road signs, not 30 or Red Route signs but Street names. It's just a strange habit I have. When we got to France I photograph road signs, I know I'm not alone in this hobby because the travel writer Simon Calder also does it.
Anyway after two more hours snapping away I decide it's time to head home via the Tate Modern so I can pick up my copy of the Gilbert & George Exhibition Guide. Now London may not be car friendly during the week but £5.30 to park all day behind the National Theatre at weekends and Bank Holidays is a bargain in any ones books.
I get home at just after 3. It's work tomorrow, I've just spent the best part of four days walking and my legs feel like they're having an off-body experience rather than an out of body experience. Still it was worth it.
This was a film lighting company's yard at West Ham I took the picture for two reasons, firstly it was different and secondly the site will disappear under the new Olympic Park.
5 comments:
I've thoroughly enjoyed reading your blogs about this trip Paul. I agree there are only two ways to travel in London, on foot or by boat.
Disagree about Hogarth though. Perhaps it was just that exhibition but I love his pictures that are busy. They speak volumes of life at that time. I'm thinking of the barber surgeons and the travelling actresses in the barn. Forgive me I don't know the proper names of the pictures but I know what they portray. I don't know that I could visit a G&G exhibition. They strike me as being so far up their own bottoms it's no wonder they need to plaster their own bodily fluids over their work! Good thing we all like different stuff.
Thanks Mags I had a great time, my body still hasn't recovered though.
The funny thing about the two exhibitions is that I went feeling exactly the same way you do. I love Hogarth's street scenes but his portraits were too 'samey' for me.
With G & G I have to say before I went I was very sceptical, in fact reading their 'mission statement' I thought they were having a laugh. The sheer scale of the works was overpowering. The use of body fluids did seem a bit wanky (no pun intended).
The funny thing is that I've never visited a major exhibition and had so much time and space, it was empty and that was Easter Saturday - I suspect everybody shares yours and Janis's views on them.
Sounds like you had a great time over Easter, Paul.
I got to a beer festival on Good Friday and after that succumed to bronchitis which had me off all last week. It's back to work tomorrow and am I dreading it!
Was it a CAMRA festival Shy? I used tolove those, havn't been to one for years though.
I don't know who organised it, Paul. But there were 41 beers available for consumption as well as ciders. Just about every pint was £2.20 which, to me, seemed like excellent value. The surroundngs were very good too.
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