I regard National Portrait Gallery a yet
another Hall of Fame, in British classical version. A giant, tender gentleman
leads me to the Gallery of the Tutors, with some rather dimly yellow light, on
the wall, Henry VII, Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn, Mary Tutors show their beauty and
confidence, and on the opposite there is the cover girl of Anthology of British
Literature, Elizabeth I, the Faerie Queene standing tall. Aside of monarchy, William
Shakespeare, Sir Isaac Newton and Beatrix Potter are displaying their
curiosities. Opened in 1856, the celebrities will definitely contribute more to
National Portrait Gallery.
Founded in 1852, located in the Brompton
district of South Kensington underground station, the Victoria and Albert
Museum (often abbreviated as the V&A) is also admission free, ranks the
world’s largest museum of decorative arts and design, housing a permanent
collection of over 4,5 million objects. The V&A Museum is split into four collections
departments: 1, Asian; 2, Furniture, Textiles and Fashion; 3, Sculpture,
Metalwork, Ceramics and Glass; finally, 4, Word and Images. I am intrigued in
the jewelry design the most and the ceramics of tableware on the top floor. Many
famous potters, such as Wedgwood, William de Morgan as well as Royal Doulton
are presented in the collection. And the bookstore of V&A museum has the
best selection on fashion and photography, I spot this Edwardian Fashion by
Daniel Milford-Cottam, 6,99 GPB, and am looking forward to the new knowledge of
culture of outfits. The costume collection is almost the most comprehensive in
Britain, containing over 14,000 outfits and accessories, mainly dating from
1600 to the present. Some evening gowns, such as from Dior, are the general
gifts from the Harrods.
Established by Charles Henry Harrod,
Harrods is an upmarket luxury department store, which occupies a 5-acre site
and has 330 departments of retail space. The Harrods motto is Omnia Omnibus
Ubique, which in Latin for “All Goods for the All”, its ground floor
accessories are amazing, the top designer’s latest treats are alluring every
single moment. I purchase my Chanel logo earrings with lovely service, and try
all the 7 fragrances at Louis Vuitton. The well-known food hall of Harrods is
definitely not to be missed. My tremendous surprise is that the tea collection
next to the Christmas market area, that all kinds of the flavor are waving
‘would you care for some tea’ to my helpless soul.
We mates still choose the most
budget-saving strategy to spend our Saturday: select a sushi box at ITSU and
croissants from Whole Food Market and chill out at Kensington park. We would
also visit Japanese restaurant Tombo for a chat, or enjoy a proper Sunday
British afternoon tea at Covent Garden. When I am having mini solo trip, I like
to hang out at Borough Market, under the London Bridge, and see how local
citizens have some small talks with farmers about organic delicatessen. By this
way I can discover more interesting pub, tavern, storefront, and even St.
George the Martyr in Southwark.
The very last day, I mimic what a tourist
usually does in London: write the postcards, search the red mailbox, take the
underground to Westminster, shoot numerous pictures of the Parliament, record
the bell of Big Ben, feel the mourning at Westminster Abbey, and witness the
Changing of the Guards in front of Buckingham Palace. It was heavily cloudy,
but the people on the streets are energetic and exciting. Walking through the
St. James Park, passing by a huge crowd of human wall, smelling the shits from
the horses, I see on Buckingham Palace rooftop hanging the Great Britain flag,
the ceremony begins on the forecourt of Buckingham Palace at 11:30 sharp, for a
good spot, visitors shall come no later than 10:30, following a march by a
detachment of the Old Guard, with musical support. Alas I arrive at 11:25,
still, the fences of Buckingham palace allow me to take a closers gazes of the
guards marching. My iPhone 5C is running out of battery, never mind, London is
calling, and I am definitely responding.
Special Thanks: Rosie & Miko
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