Day 3 starts with our continued education in the UK’s National Health Care system. After registering yesterday with a GP we’re told that we have to wait until we’re in the system to use their services. But with Jason’s eyes still blood shot red, we head off to a walk in clinic. My seeing eye dog duties continue.
Later I’m in Notting Hill having some morning coffee and doing some reading. Can you tell this is a wifi hot spot?
There are 4 laptops in this shot alone, and I spotted 3 others at the other end of the coffee shop. With an old school paper book I’m a bit out of place.
I head down the street towards the Queensway where I meet Adrienne for lunch. We have mexican, and I forget to take a picture. It’s quite nice to meet up with friends for lunch. In a city the size of London you generally you don’t work anywhere near your friends. I suppose the same can be said for Toronto (downtown vs. say Richmond Hill) but when I was at York & Adelaide I knew quite a few people all in the financial core within walking distance to me. Perhaps, the difference comes from having more friends in Toronto and the larger pool to choose from working in my favour. Anyway, here in London I have Jenny up at Paddington, Adrienne in Notting Hill, Kaila and Kerwin in The City, Heather, Jeff and Andrew in Mayfair, Dan in Canary Wharf and my ex-colleagues at Victoria. Oh and a husband in Cambridge! So it’s nice to visit a few while I can.
After lunch, Adrienne begrudgingly heads back to work and I head into Hyde Park with plans to go visit the Serpentine Gallery. After yesterdays repetitive assault of rain I’m relieved to be getting a bit of sun. Nice January weather eh?
The Serpentine Gallery is much smaller than I expected. On right now is an exhibit about British artist Anthony McCall and includes 3 of his light installation exhibition exhibits from the 1970s. These were truly amazing. I only managed to get one photo before the phota-nazi police scolded me:
Basically the artist uses light from a projection screen and smoke screens to make giant dynamic cone like shapes. If you stand inside the projection you feel like you’re in the heart of a monochromatic nebula … until some visitor pops their head into the light, cutting through the cone. It’s a fascinating experience. And I’m doing a terrible job of describing it.
Taking Exhibition Road south I pass the Science Museum and that Natural History Museum – I’ll save these for another day when Jason can come with me. Instead I choose the Victoria and Albert Museum of Art and Design. The building alone is worth a visit as is the giant glass sculpture in the main lobby:
I could probably spend a day or two in this museum; it’s absolutely huge. But I focus most my efforts on the Islamic Art Exhibit. After visiting Kuala Lumpur’s Museum of Islamic Art I’ve grown a fondness for this style (and 3 prints that I purchased there that Jason accidently trashed in our move to the UK and threw out because he just assumed it was Ikea junk. Yes, Jas, this will be just like “that Thanksgiving”. You won’t stop hearing about that until i go senile)
Up next, my half ass attempt at house wife duties.