I found the notice in the privy on the Eurostar most amusing....ah who else would be using the privy?
This really is the ideal way to travel from Paris to London!
Monday 21 September 2015
Posted with Blogsy
LONDON MOMENTS.....ONE VERY FULL DAY!!
In spite of the rain.....visits included:
* The National Gallery to see some of my favourite works of art and artists...
Never knew Van Gogh painted crabs.
This one was not in Gold!
The floor in The National Gallery entrance that I had never noticed...
**A Beethoven violin concert at St. James's Church, Piccadilly....heaven!
***A quick visit to Canada House and to see the installed Gordon Smith in the entry.....security is massive!!!
Gordon Smith's painting in front entrance...
****Finally to the British Museum
Few shopping moments...
Time to say goodbye...
ROYAL ACADEMY OF ARTS ....AI WEIWEI
One of China's most recognizable and contentious artists! My hero given his brave and outspoken criticism of his government and condemnation of China's suppression of human rights and free speech....
The Royal Academy of Arts did a superb job of this major exhibition and consisted of materials that included tea, marble and bicycles!
The pieces were profound and the final piece created for this exhibition will never be forgotten.
In 2008 an earthquake destroyed some twenty schools in Sichuan province killing more than 5,000 students. A Citizen's investigation was set up by WeiWei aimed on recording the names of all the victims as authorities compromised the buildings of the schools for their own gain. The names were carefully entered with name, date of birth, gender and it was heartbreaking.
One of two major walls...
Bent and twisted steel were the reinforcing bars used in the schools. 200 tonnes were brought to Beijing where it was painstakingly straightened by hand and laid out to show the fractured land where so many lives were lost.
M
Three thousand crabs made in porcelain representing the guests who came to a protest dinner when the government shut down Ai WeiWei's studio...
Bicycle chandelier.....weighs 2 tonnes and every day during Ai WeiWei's house arrest he put fresh flowers in the basket of his bicycle as a silent protest. As his passport was finally returned in July, 2015 this work is especially profound as well as magnificant.
Sunday 20 September 2015
THE CHUNNEL EXPERIENCE....
I love trains and thrill every time I come to Gare Du Nord...a dream to do this trip!
ONCE A YEAR.....
Simply can not believe my luck! Doors are opened to historic buildings not otherwise open to the public...endless choices but the Hôtel de Ville with its luxurious neo-Renaissance style, French Revolution history took my vote!
Endless hours with heart-stopping moments that were too many to feature....remember this is City Hall!
And let there be light...and more light...
Members were not in Session...
This is the office of the Mayor of Paris and she had tidied it up for our visit..
While every attempt was made to have me join French politics for the République Française... I reconsidered!
Of course I found my staircase...this time from the outside!
TOUR ST-JACQUES.....
Never can you be bored in this city....beauty surrounds!
Here is one of the best examples of Flamboyant Gothic you will find in Paris...Tour St-Jacques is a 52m tower in a Jardin and all that remains of an early 16th-century church....pictures say it all.
Always an art surprise in Le Jardin...a perfect contrast ...non?
PLACE DU CHÂTELET.....
Perfect day in Paris.....warm and the cafés were packed! This Place is a great point to discover endless history .....
Yes....well Napolean delighted in Egypt...
Place du Châtelet.....
So much for cake....built as a Royal Palace to later become a prison during the Reign of Terror. Lots of tragic ends here...including that of Queen Marie Antoinette. Recently cleaned to impress!
Two fantastic theatres opposite one another ....oh the joy of the supported arts!
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