Never make plans; they never go right.
That’s the only real lesson I’ve learned from traveling. Today’s goal: explore the Tate Modern. I’ve been to the modern art museums in San Francisco and New York this year, and now added London.
It was bad. Boring.
I think their target market is 13 year olds. That’s mostly who was there, doing classwork.
They had one of Monet’s Water Lillies, so it wasn’t all bad.
The first sign something’s off: I wore a Nebraska t-shirt and nobody came up to me. I don’t think that’s ever happened before.
The second sign something’s off: alarms and evacuation.
I don’t know why it went off, but they hurried us all outside quickly. It only lasted a couple minutes, so I’d put money on prank.
After that mess I decided to do what I enjoy most: walking around. I walked around 10 Downing St., and Trafalgar Square. I spent a few minutes relaxing on benches in the Victoria Embankment Gardens.
Walked around Shakespeare’s Globe Theater. I was tempted to go to Macbeth tonight, but just couldn’t get excited about The Scottish Play.
Walked around Parliament and Big Ben (under construction).
At some point I walked past a scuba shop and decided to go in. I got to chatting with one of the guys behind the counter about good “starter” cameras for someone without much underwater experience.
Walked around Westminster Abbey. They had the grass covered in crosses and poppies in remembrance of those lost to war. The poppy has been everywhere; pinned to people’s chest like we’d see a yellow ribbon. I guess they do it all Novembers, but because this is the 100th year since the end of World War I it’s been made an even bigger deal.
I relaxed some more at the Victoria Tower Gardens. I guess they like naming things after Queen Victoria, but don’t like fun.
Walked through St James’s Park.
There was an event at The Guards Museum. I heard bagpipes and investigated.
That direction leads directly to Buckingham Palace.
A sausage roll at a random cafe for lunch, and Thai at the Churchill Arms for supper. (Google it, it’s something to see. They’ve hung even more plants on the inside! Like eating in a forest.)
I didn’t take my camera out once. Snapshots on the phone and enjoying the walk. Mostly clear skies. A culture where nobody wants to talk to you. If it were just 40 degrees warmer it’d be perfect!
Travel 