Tuesday and Wednesday were my big days. Tuesday I headed first to the London Tower, and spent some time wandering around it. I particularly liked the Bloody Tower. It’s interesting to see some part of the change in society and culture over time – with imprisonment or execution of political opponents a typical theme.
Next I had to get my Tower Bridge fill… so naturally I walked across it, then watched two naval ships pass under the raised bridge deck. Cool!
Next up: The Tate Modern Art Gallery. Free Admission is a wonderful thing, although I decided to leave a donation. Pictures were generally allowed, but not for the Damien Hurst exhibit. The most interesting piece I saw was For The Love of God, a 50m GBP (~$80 CAD) platinum cast of a skull covered in over 8,000 diamonds. It was housed in a dark room – a vault, with solid doors obscured only by the dark conditions of the room and passageways leading to them. Aside from a few lights pointed directly on the piece and the occasional use of a flashlight by security (directly mostly to the floor), the room was unlit. Shiny the skull was, and carefully decorated – of course, who wouldn’t use care when manipulating 50m GBP of material?? Pictures of some other exhibits I found interesting are below.
I walked along the Thames, past Parliament, and back to my hostel, then went for a 10 km run along the Thames to the Tate Modern and back.