Chapter II

 June 19, 2014

 London

 The next morning I woke up early in my little bunk bed in the hostel. Went downstairs to the restaurant to have breakfast. During this time I met Jamie, a Canadian who was backpacking his way through Europe. We decided that since our itineraries aligned we would join forces. And before we left we were joined by Darren who wanted to tag along as well.

  The first activity was to walk down the Queen's Walk by the Thames. It was here that we saw Shakespeare's Globe, the London Eye, and Elizabeth Tower (Big Ben).

   We ended up in Southwark, and took a quick look at the Clink Museum which was a gentle reminder that the legal system has made certain improvements regarding penal institutions since the 12th-18th centuries. Afterwards we took a look at the Southwark Cathedral. Unfortunately, they were just beginning a service and I was denied entry into the nave. However, I got some decent shots of the tower juxtaposed with the Shard. 

  Next stop was St. Paul's Cathedral; one of the things I was looking forward to seeing the most. The dome loomed large in the cityscape as we crossed the Millenium Bridge towards it. 

  The cathedral is as exquisite inside as anyone could hope. However, no pictures were allowed. Nonetheless, a schoolgirl choir was giving a recital inside and their crystal clear voices rose to the heights of the dome expanding and describing the space. Two unexpected pleasures in the cathedal were the discovery of an exhibition by Bill Viola called Martyrs and Holman Hunt's Light of the World. After soaking in the artistic and liturgical majesty, I made my way upstairs. And by upstairs I mean nothing less than a cramped, claustrophobic set of 528 to the top of the dome. You see the cupola at the top of the dome in the above picture? That's where I was standing in the end. Here is a shot of London from the top.

My plans to visit the British Museum was thwarted, and so instead I headed to the Victoria & Albert museum. This is collection of decorative arts which did not disappoint - in fact it turned out to be quite a nice choice, but more on that later. I was greeted by hall of sculptures that fairly took the breath away. Primarily British artists, but a nice selection of August Rodin as well. Busts, classical scenes, reliefs, everything. 

 I have the habit of spending large amounts of time in these galleries and museums. I could have rushed through in order to visit something at an even more rushed pace - but I think that it was better to take it slowly. If art was food it would be like chocolate, something that must be savored patiently and slowly to be truly enjoyed. Besides, the other places will be there next time. This concludes the chapter and more or less my hasty visit to London. Next stop: Oslo. (More precisely: Paddington station, Heathrow Express, Heathrow, Gate 24, SAS airlines, and then Oslo.)