Emm in London

Where in the World?

noreply@blogger.com (Emm) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:06:58 PST

I'm currently in my second favourite city on Earth. It used to be my favourite city but then I went to New York and this city was relegated to second place. Considering how very much I loved New York, I'd say that being second place still means that I love this city very, very, very much.

A couple of clues:

It had been my favourite city for most of my life.
It took me two hours and eight minutes to arrive here by train.
My brother worked here before he moved down to London.

And less personal clues:

There is a bombed out shell of a church still standing here from the Blitz. The outside walls are still standing and there are trees growing in the middle.
Arguably the most famous band on Earth emerged from this city.
The Dubliners sang at least two songs about this city, one of which I quoted when I last visited here.

Righty-ho! I've put moderated comments on and I'll send postcards to the first five people who can correctly guess where I am.

DC: Lincoln and Vietnam Veterans Memorials

noreply@blogger.com (Emm) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 11:22:07 PST

The Lincoln Memorial

I finally managed to tear myself away from the cool fountains of the National World War II Memorial and I walked towards the Lincoln Memorial. It is quite an impressive old structure and was built to honour Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States.

Like everyone else, I had seen the memorial and the sculpture of Abe Lincoln several times on television but nothing can quite prepare you for seeing it in person. It is really quite impressive! [You can click on the photos for enlargements].

There is a museum underneath the memorial and it is so interesting! I had not realised that Abraham Lincoln was such an amazing individual! I found the exhibits to be really inspiring and I’d love to read more about this man and his ideas.

In fact, I’d like to learn more about Abraham Lincoln and visit the memorial again one day. Sometimes, you see an exhibit and can learn a lot from it, without having previous knowledge. But sometimes, you just know that there is so much to take in and so much that you should already know and a lot of the information is lost on you. I felt a bit like that on that day.

A fascinating aspect of the exhibit underneath is the story behind the monument itself and how it is a work of art in itself. It is a lovely memorial and it is obvious that a lot of thought went into it.

After the cool and air-conditioning basement, the sweltering outside heat was almost too much for me to bear!! From my notebook:

“I’ve just made two failed attempts to go outside. I cannot begin to tell you how hot it is and for a South African to say that, you must know how hot it is. I’ve been really inspired by Lincoln. What an amazing man and a superb orator. I think Ill research him”.

Eventually, I did make it out and I took this lovely shot of the Washington Monument with the Capitol in the background.

I then made my way to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. This was the reason why I had to come to Washington, DC; why I pushed myself to do so much in New York so that I could spare one day there.

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial

Again, from my notebook:

"Long before my obsession with Rwanda and genocide, there was my obsession with the Vietnam War. Starting at age 11 when I saw the The Deer Hunter, I read everything I could about the war and saw all the films I could lay my hands on. I’m left with the same question today as I was 25 years ago. Why?

These days I have a new question. When are they going to start acknowledging and memorialising those who have died in Kuwait, Iraq and Afghanistan”.

It is possible that I was delirious from the extreme heat by then! And no, I would never recommend that you let your 11-year-old child watch The Deer Hunter but I was a devious little child and watched it while my parents were out.

Interestingly enough, the Memorial was inspired by Jan Scruggs after seeing The Deer Hunter as it reminded him of those who had died and suffered in Vietnam.

The Three Soldiers

What an absolute waste of lives.

Time seemed to have slowed down to an almost standstill by now. It was only 2pm and yet I seemed to have done so much in two hours! I walked back past the Washington Monument and took numerous photos again…

…and I saw the Thomas Jefferson Memorial in the distance.

The Thomas Jefferson Memorial

I would have loved to have explored the Jefferson Memorial but I decided to keep going and seek the cool interior of the Holocaust Museum instead.

Halloween Haircut Horror!

noreply@blogger.com (Emm) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:28:19 PST

I know Halloween is already a distant memory for some but I just had to tell the world of the horrifying experience I had on Saturday! We got up bright and early and went to our usual restaurant in Dartford for a full English breakfast. May I take this opportunity to present exhibit A, evidence of my very long hair that morning.

Emm with hair // Yummy breakfast // Mister Emm looking gorgeous

We go to the Wetherspoons in Spital Street, Dartford and I usually get a traditional breakfast for £2.69 and Stephen gets a large breakfast for £3.89. It is so good that we go every single Saturday morning! Anyway, back to Halloween… after breakfast, we went to the salon next door, Raw.

In retrospect, I should have realised something was up the minute I walked into the salon.

I wasn't even perturbed when a witch came to pick Stephen up for his haircut!

It was around the time that I realised that The Devil was going to be doing my hair that realised something was seriously not right.

I took one last look at Stephen stuck away in the corner with Liewe Heksie and I sat in the chair and resigned myself to my fate.

First, Her Devilness measured my hair to maximise the devastating effects of her actions, then she heartlessly chopped off my ponytail and held up her prize for all to see.

With an evil muah-ha-ha-ha, she put the final touches on her evil plan.

As you can see, I was devastated by the results.

With one last look at the hellish Alice in Wonderland, I finally made my escape!

The haunted Raw Salon looked so normal from the outside!

I hope you liked my little Halloween story! The real tale is that I went to cut off my pony tail so that I could donate it to Banbury Postiche who make natural hair wigs for chemotherapy patients (amongst other uses). I knew that Raw were also dressing up and raising money for charity that day and thought it would be a fantastic photo opportunity. As first time clients, Stephen and I were each given a 30% discount which certainly helped towards the cost. We needed a minimum of six inches of hair and we managed just over ten inches. It was an absolutely amazing experience to finally cut it off as I have been trying for so long to grow it long enough. Just in case my post was confusing, let me just say I was really happy with the haircut and this was the best salon I have ever been to! They were so friendly and accommodating and I loved the massaging chairs in the hair washing room.

I’ve decided to also raise money for the NACCPO* and am asking people to sponsor me per inch of hair donated.

"The National Alliance of Childhood Cancer Parent Organisations (NACCPO) is made up of parent run organisations that have common aims of working together to support children and young adults with cancer" - NACCPO

There is no minimum donation and every little bit helps. Remember to include your blog address in your message so that I can thank you and show your blog some link love! The money donated doesn’t come anywhere near me and goes straight to the charity via JustGiving. JustGiving give the full donation amount to the charity and make their money from Gift Aid which is the money made on tax breaks on donations from British residents.

Donating money is not the only way to help me. You can also Stumble or Digg this article using the “share” button below or you can link to the post on Twitter or Facebook. I don’t usually ask for so much attention but this is for a good cause!!!

I'd just like to express my thanks that my Dad has been clear of cancer for two years and that my Auntie Barbara has a good prognosis. We lost my step-Auntie Lorraine to this year after a long battle against lung cancer.

Where I work: Shrigleys

noreply@blogger.com (Emm) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 14:37:26 PST

I had to go to the bank today to deposit a cheque which was great because I was a couple of days behind on my weekly lunch break!

I decided to get a carb-rich lunch (for no other reason than I felt like it) and so I went to Shrigleys which is half way up Borough High Street.

I think what I love most about Shrigleys is their friendliness. They call to you the minute you walk in and they invite you to take a seat in such a way that you can’t possibly refuse (well, I couldn’t). So I got out my book (I’ve moved on to The Host) and had some tea while I waited for my cheese and bacon baked potato to arrive. It was yummy and only cost £3.20.

I’m getting quite good at this lunch thing. I think it is all to do with reading such good books lately that it pains me to work for too long without taking time to read!!

Apparently the weather is going to turn this week and our ridiculously warm and sunny autumn will come to an end, to be replaced by more typical wet and windy weather. Oh well, it was nice while it lasted. I must dry clean my winter coat (yes, I know, I should have done that about 8 months ago but I didn’t).

World Blog Surf Day: Remember, remember…

noreply@blogger.com (Emm) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 17:07:10 PDT

…the fifth of November!

If you’ve clicked over from my dear blogging friend Just A Plane Ride Away welcome and welcome to this edition of World Blog Surf Day! World Blog Surf Day is a round-the-world blogging trip where expats talk about a certain aspect of their life in their new country. It is a fabulous event because not only do you get to visit different countries, you also get the benefit of the different cultural backgrounds that we bring to our new countries. The idea is that I will link to the next blogger at the bottom of my post and you can click through to 41 bloggers as you surf around the world!!!

The theme for this edition of WBSD is:

Holidays & Celebrations--What is your favourite new holiday and how is it celebrated?

Well, America has Halloween and South Africa has Christmas (albeit a hot and sunny one) so I would say that my favourite celebration that is unique to England is Bonfire Night. Actually… who am I kidding? Bonfire Night has always been my favourite since I was a little girl.

Lewes Bonfire Night 2007 - Bonfire Onlooker, originally uploaded by Dominic's Pics

The Legend of Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder Plot

Queen Elizabeth I persecuted Catholics and many had hoped that her successor James I would be more tolerant of Catholics as his mother was one. This was not the case however and in 1605, 13 young men decided to take the matter into their own hands.

They came up with the brilliant plan (she says sarcastically) to blow up the Houses of Parliament, thereby killing the King and the Protestant nobility who were bringing misery to the Catholic people.

Robert Catesby led the Gunpowder Plot and Guy Fawkes was put in charge of the execution. They obtained 36 barrels of gunpowder and stored them in a cellar under the House of Lords. The problem was that many innocent people would get harmed in the explosion as Catholics and Catholic sympathisers would also be at the Houses of Parliament.

Of the 13 conspirators, several fled to Dunchurch but one of them sent an anonymous note to Lord Monteagle warning him of the impending attack. The note was reported and Guy Fawkes was arrested in the cellar before carrying out the attack.

The Tradition of Bonfire Night

On hearing of the deliverance of their King, Londoners immediately lit fires in thanksgiving and the tradition of Bonfire Night began that year. Modern day celebrations include the burning of a “Guy” on a huge bonfire and impressive fireworks displays.

[Image Source]

My favourite has to be the Catherine Wheel. This is two big sparklers that are put on a wheel that is then spun. My only complaint about the Catherine Wheel? It is over too quickly.

Bonfire Night, originally uploaded by mattwillshawphotography

My… how we grow up. As a pet owner, I hate fireworks and find myself staying in on New Years Eve to look after my poor, traumatised dogs. (Don’t feel too sorry for me – I did enough partying in my twenties to last me for the next couple of New Years!)

You can’t deny it though, there are few things as exhilarating as a good fireworks display!!! I’ve seen two displays that I will never forget – one over Westminster on VJ Day in 1995 and one over Melbourne on 31 December 1999. My favourite displays, however, are those using the smaller (and more dangerous) fireworks that whistle as they go up and pop in the sky. Feeling the heat on my cheeks from the bonfire and the electricity in the atmosphere around me, Bonfire Night has got to be my favourite celebration of all!

Lewes Bonfire Night, originally uploaded by sussexmike

Continue along on your World Blog Surf Day trip to Annuca at Rantings from Afar. Annuca is another blogging friend of mine and we met during the first WBSD. I just know that you’ll love her post!

An Eternal Tourist in Washington DC

noreply@blogger.com (Emm) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 14:24:47 PDT

I’d spent most of the morning travelling to DC and by the time I set off after brunch it was already noon. I had a lot of touring to do in one afternoon so you’ll have to forgive me if most of what I did see was traditional tourist sites. Oh, by the way, “travelling” is spelt with two elles in UK English!

If you look at Washington, DC on a map, it looks deceptively small and it looks as if you’ll be able to navigate all of the most important sites on foot with relative ease. I mean, look! This was taken right in the middle and you can see the Capitol a the other end!

Freedom Plaza

Well, I can confirm that it can be done but that I would never choose to walk it all in one day again nor would I do so in 33°c heat. My day trip to DC was one of the most amazing, rewarding days of my life but it was also one of the hottest, longest and most tiring!

The Willard InterContinental Hotel // Pershing Park

I walked across Western Plaza which was renamed Freedom Plaza in honour of Martin Luther King, Jr. The Willard InterContinental is where he wrote his famous “I Have A Dream” speech which he delivered on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. I can’t begin to describe the feeling I felt in looking at the hotel and thinking, “there walked a man who was taken from us far too early”. You can read or listen to his “I Have A Dream” speech here. The beautiful Pershing Park is adjacent to Freedom Plaza and across the road from the Willard InterContinental.

I continued up E Street NW to the White House.

The White House

Isn’t it pretty? I must say, it felt a little bit surreal standing there. You’re pretty far away and it would almost feel like it were on television if it weren’t for the security agents all over the place!

Washington Monument // National World War II Memorial with the Lincoln Memorial in the distance

I took several photos of the Washington Monument. I couldn’t stop!! In fact, I took so many more photos than I actually landed up keeping because they got repetitive even for me! The second photo above was taken from the foot of the Washington Monument. I can’t begin to express how hard it was to walk up there in the searing heat and how hot it was. Seriously! I am an African who seeks hot and sunny weather but I don’t know if I’ve been that affected by heat before!

The fountain at the National World War II Memorial

Naturally the fountain at the National World War II Memorial proved too much for me to resist. We weren’t actually allowed to swim in it but I came pretty close as I sat at the edge and submerged my legs.

Americans came to liberate, not to conquer; to restore freedom and to end tyranny

I really love war memorials and this has to be the most beautiful, the most well designed memorial I have ever seen. The southern side of the memorial is dedicated to American forces in the Pacific theater and the northern side is dedicated to those in the Atlantic theater.

Under the arch on the Pacific side

The states involved in Pacific theater

Finally, I managed to tear myself away from the memorial and I made my way towards the Lincoln Memorial.

The Lincoln Memorial as seen over the Reflecting Pool

I could sit and stare at my photos of the reflecting pool for hours and hours. It really was a beautiful place.

Where I Work: Autumn arrives

noreply@blogger.com (Emm) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 13:57:42 PDT

If I had to pick out my absolute worst habit, I would have to say that it is neglecting to take lunch breaks. I get into work around 9am and work straight through until 5pm before running off to catch the train. I’m terrible! The last time I took a lunch break was in August and before that I think it was May when I had lunch at Joes!

One of the biggest differences between England and South Africa is that we have four seasons here. In Johannesburg, we had 9 months of scorching hot summer and 12 long weeks of ice cold nights and dry, hot days (that is winter!) All Jo’burgers complain bitterly about the winter and we take for granted the fact that there are more dry, warm, sunny days then the whole of the English summer!

So, combining my rare lunch break and noticing the seasonal changes, I thought I’d post some of the photos I’ve taken on my Nokia N70 over the past 6 months. All of these photos are taken in the recently renamed St George’s Churchyard Gardens in SE1. You can read a bit more about the history of the gardens here.

Spring / early summer

This was taken on the 1st of May this year. Spring was in full bloom and all the beautiful shades of green were starting to emerge. I love that heady, balmy early summer feeling in England. We didn’t get that in Jo’burg – it was freezing one day and then summer arrived the next.

Late Summer

This was my third straight summer in England and in my opinion, it has been the warmest, nicest summer so far. The first summer in 2007 was alternatively freezing and boiling (as in freezing all the time except when I was on crowded trains) and last year was pretty miserable.

This photo was taken on the 18th of August. I’d managed to tear myself away from the office and made it about twenty minutes before running back inside! (I’m shaking my head ruefully right now).

My building is the ivy covered building in the background. A year after I first posted about the gardens, we are still waiting for Southwark Council to cut back the ivy!!!

Autumn

Taken today. The leaves are turning orange, red and brown and falling to the ground and autumn is definitely here! Despite the fact that it is nearly the end of October, I was sitting there today with a sleeveless shirt and a lightweight mac on!

I managed to sit for a whole half an hour in the gardens today. I’m reading a really good book (Marked) and I simply had to read as much as I could!

Winter

It has been a long and glorious summer and hopefully I’ll have enough sunny memories to last me through the winter. I got really bad winter blues the past two years (last year it was exacerbated by having flu for two months) so I am coming out fighting this year!! Every time I feel blue I can look back on these pictures and start planning my trip to Europe next summer.

Next Summer

We were planning a road trip around Italy but now I am toying with driving from Dartford (in England), taking a ferry to France and then driving to Portugal. Sheila from A Postcard a Day posted some gorgeous postcards from Portugal lately and I follow an awesome Portuguese photo blog Photo PT. Going to Italy is still one of my biggest dreams but going to Portugal next year might just work better. And the biggest reason for going to Portugal? I could get to meet one of my best blogging friends Blue Kermit.

New York day 6: Day Trip to DC

noreply@blogger.com (Emm) — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 15:32:37 PDT

On the Friday morning I woke up at Officially Too Early^© Hour and by 6.30am I was standing at Penn Station bus station waiting to catch a coach to Washington DC. I was tired and my inner body clock was mutinous, claiming to officially not know whether I was coming or going.

The New Jersey Turnpike

While so much of my trip to the States remains crystal clear in my mind, that morning certainly doesn’t and everything I had tried to cram into 7 days was finally catching up on me. Good thing I had no idea what was lying ahead of me then! The only thing I remember about the coach ride to Washington DC was how awesome the New Jersey Turnpike was, that there was no one sitting next to me or in the rows before or after me and that it took 4.5 hours. Oh, and we rode through New Jersey and Maryland to get there and I might even have touched Pennsylvania and Delaware too but it was all a bit of a haze!

7.08am Friday 26 June 2009

Think I’m on the New Jersey Turnpike. Wow. What a system. I’d heard of 9-lane highways before but wow. That’s just one direction. On way to DC.

Listening to Tracy Chapman, Angie Aparo and Cat Stevens. Major iPod FAIL – no Albert Hammond. That’s impossible. I’m sure I had him on CD.

Oh, and packed a long-sleeved shirt today for warmth. Thank goodness. No umbrella though. We’ll see how that pans out.

As you can see, I’m just the queen of eloquence and witty repartee when I'm tired.

The bus arrived in Washington DC sometime at 11.15am. I made my way down 10th Street NW to the Washington Welcome Center where a nice lady gave me a brochure for a sightseeing tour which doubled as a free map. I then went into the diner next door and had a big old American breakfast and then I felt human again and ready to tackle the day!

New York day 5: The Museum of Modern Art

noreply@blogger.com (Emm) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 14:55:54 PDT

It may have taken me a short while to find myself in The Met but the minute I set foot in The Museum of Modern Art, I was in heaven! I walked through the doors and immediately found myself surrounded by pieces of art that I have known and admired for my whole life.

Art is extremely subjective of course and I am sure that not everyone will be impressed by seeing the pieces that I found to be outstanding.

I have always found a strange connection to abstract art or perhaps that should be “lack of connection”? I love everything to do with the Sixties too and in my mind that extends from the Doors to Velvet Underground to Andy Warhol to Pop Art. I love Pop Art and was in raptures the first time I visited the Tate Liverpool and saw Warhol’s Marilyns. My absolute favourite has to be surrealism though and Dali’s works have been my favourite for many, many years. On to the art then… (click the photos for larger images).

Painting and Sculpture II

Drowning Girl, Roy Lichtenstein, 1953 // Campbell's Soup Cans, Andy Warhol, 1962

Even as I try to diligently type up this blog post, I find myself staring at the Drowning Girl. I really love this piece!

Equivalent V, Carl Andre, 1966-1969 // Untitled, Robert Ryman, 1965 and 1961

I swear, I am not trying to insult anyone’s intelligence by including Equivalent V! I studied the Philosophy of Art module as part of my Philosophy II course at university and I had to write an essay on whether or not this was a work of art. Given the excruciating pain of writing that paper, I just had to pay homage to the actual piece itself. The Robert Ryman pieces also take me back to my philosophy days and those never ending arguments about nothing being real and whether art is more than the sum of its materials.

Once I had done my time in the abstract department, I turned the corner and fell in love…

Flag, Jasper Johns, 1954 - 1955

“While this image is something "the mind already knows," Johns acknowledged, its execution complicates the representation and invites close inspection”.

It should be no surprise that I fell in love with this piece. I knew of it of course but seeing it during my crazy week in New York, while I was falling in love with a city and a country, put it in a whole different perspective for me. In any event, no photograph could adequately convey the texture and surface of Flag as it is made with strips of newspaper dating from 1955 and 1956. It was a sight to behold!

No. 16 (Red, Brown and Black), Mark Rothko, 1958

"We favor the simple expression of the complex thought. We are for the large shape because it has the impact of the unequivocal. We wish to reassert the picture plane. We are for flat forms because they destroy illusion and reveal truth." – Rothko and Gottlieb, manifesto reaction to New York Times, 1942

My best friend Heather loves Mark Rothko and it was lovely to see his work

One: Number 31,1950, Jackson Pollock, 1950 // Agony, Arshile Gorky, 1947 & Man Looking at Woman, Adolph Gottlieb, 1949

Dive Bomber and Tank, José Clemente Orozco, 1940

This was my biggest surprise of the day because of the sheer size of it and what it depicted. Commissioned by the museum, Orozco painted it in front of the viewing public and claimed that it had no political significance.

“I simply paint the life that is going on at the present—what we are and what the world is at this moment. That is what modern art is.” - Orozco

Dive Bomber and Tank consists of six panels which are intended to be arranged in any order and its overall size is a whopping 9 by 18 feet (2.75 by 5.5 metres in English!)

If I was impressed by what I had seen so far, it was nothing compared to my glee on reaching the upper level.

Painting and Sculpture I

The Migration Series, Jacob Lawrence, 1940-41 // Hirondelle Amour, Joan Miró, 1933-34

The Menaced Assassin, René Magritte, 1927

"I immediately like this upper section more. The paintings remind me of Orwell, then Kafka and Sartre. Magritte’s paintings in particular are… soothing. They make me want to escape into an absurd Sartrean novel”.

Seated Bather, Pablo Picasso, 1930 // The Empire of Light II, René Magritte, 1950

Dance (I), Henri Matisse, 1909 // The Enigma of Day, Giorgio de Chirico, 1914

I'm sure they've used The Enigma of Day on the cover of an edition of Philip Pullman’s Subtle Knife before because that is precisely how I expected that alternative world to look.

The Starry Night, Vincent van Gogh, 1889

Seeing The Starry Night in person was an absolutely amazing experience. I stood really close to it for the longest time and just traced the brush strokes and whirls with my eyes. It is a fabulous work of art.

I and the Village, Marc Chagall, 1911 // The Sleeping Gypsy, Henri Rousseau, 1897

The Sleeping Gypsy is one of my favourite pieces of art. It reminds me of the strange world I lived in when I was four years old as an expat in Nigeria. I’ve loved it for as long as I can remember!

Project 90, Song Dong, 2009

And suddenly it was time to go home! The museum was only open until 6.30pm and so I began to make my way outside through the Lillie P. Bliss Garden Plaza.

The Museum of Modern Art (or MoMA) was definitely one of the best places I visited in new York and I would absolutely go again. Considering how awesome the rest of New York is, that is saying something!

It has been the most amazing day but I had a massive day planned for the next day and so I headed back to the apartment and willed myself to fall asleep in preparation for waking up at 5am the next morning.

Click here to read all posts from my trip to New York or click on the label below.

New York day 5: The Metropolitan Museum of Art

noreply@blogger.com (Emm) — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 07:19:41 PDT

After the brief interlude in Central Park I made my way over to The Metropolitan Museum of Art. I’d tried to go through there on the Monday but it had been closed.

When I first got into “The Met”, I was quite overwhelmed and didn’t know what to do with myself. There was just so much to see and so many iconic and important pieces of art and I must have flitted about aimlessly for at least half and hour. I wafted through The Pictures Generation (1974 - 1984) exhibit and an area with Rodin sculptures before doing a u-turn and briefly looking at an exhibition of art from Afghanistan. I just couldn’t settle down though.

Rodin's Adam, The Thinker, Eve and The Martyr

I then wondered into the stunning exhibition The Model as Muse: Embodying Fashion. This was a fabulous tour through fashion photography and the modelling world since the 1960’s.

The exhibit featured photographs, magazine covers and stories of the designers and the models and was complete with actual dresses starting with the geometric shapes of the 60’s mini dresses right up to the fashions of the last couple of years.

It was fascinating to walk through the exhibit and see the iconic rise of the mass fashion and supermodels. It was quite sad that no photography was permitted.

The last stop in my tour of The Metropolitan Museum of Art was the phenomenal exhibit Francis Bacon: A Centenary Retrospective. I wasn’t really familiar with Francis Bacon before I went into this exhibit and it made such a great impression on me. Once again, we weren’t allowed to take photographs but I wrote pages and pages in my notebook about what I saw. I’ll try my best to describe my experience with images of my favourite pieces of his work taken from the internet.

Francis Bacon was born in 1909 and hence the centenary retrospective. His first major piece was the 1944 triptych Three Studies for Figures at the Base of a Crucifixion.

Head VI, 1949 [source]

Study after Vélázquez's Portrait of Pope Innocent X, 1953 [source]

He had several images that appeared to be caged and apparently he was trying to portray the corrupting influence of power.

Man in Blue IV, 1954 [source]

He did a series of “Man in Blue” painting which were quite impressive in their message and the feeling of dread that they conveyed. They represented the cold war anxiety and the threat that Bacon experienced at a personal level due to his affair with Peter Lacy.

Three Studies for a Crucifixion, 1962 [source]

This piece made me stop in my tracks and stare for quite a while.

“Absolutely disturbing and essentially powerful. Reminds me of the imagery of [the film] The Cell. It was no doubt influenced by Francis Bacon.

I wonder if he saw death? Because he imagines it close to photos I’ve seen of gunshot victims. I could never have imagined the actual damage of those – what an imagination!” (from my notebook)

Triptych, 1976 [source]

His paintings following the suicide of his lover George Dyer in 1971 were really powerful. In these paintings, he exorcised his grief and guilt. His guilt was evident in the holes and the emptiness. He was painting a man that was withering and destroying himself.

The central figure is surrounded by vultures and alludes to the Ancient Greek legend of Prometheus, a figure whose liver was perpetually plucked out each day by an eagle only to have it grow back again.

Having dealt with the suicide of a friends some years back, identified so strongly with these paintings and with his process. The idea of Prometheus was especially disturbing as I remembered waking up each day only to live through what had happened again until I finally came to accept it. Such is the power of this art that it took me right back to that time.

Francis Bacon's studio [source]

Towards the end of the exhibit there was an entire wall imprinted with a photograph of Francis Bacon’s studio. My poor, ordered, near-obsessive mind struggled for ages to comprehend such absolute mayhem and then I remembered my rather peculiar method of writing essays at university! I used to do all my reading and then write random, inspired paragraphs on little scraps of paper. Then I’d sit in the middle of my bedroom floor and arrange the scraps of paper in a circle around me in a structured order. I would then type out the essay, write an introduction and conclusion and finally, I’d consult my reading material and randomly slot in the required two references per paragraph. This crazy performance was unfortunately perpetuated by really high marks and praise from my lecturers.

Jet of Water, 1988 [source]

After the oppression of the previous section relating to George Dyer’s suicide, I found the final part of the exhibit to be surprisingly open and liberated even though a lot of his work was motivated by the death of those around him. This was the section on Francis Bacon’s final decade from 1981 to 1991.

It is a pity that it took me so long to post about this (bad blogger!) because both the “Model as Muse” and the Francis bacon exhibits ended in August. They were excellent exhibits though and as you can see, they left a lasting impression on me! Perhaps next time I undertake a big tour, I will post about the temporary exhibits first.

New York day 5: Interlude in Central Park

noreply@blogger.com (Emm) — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 21:03:00 PDT

I never intended for my tales of New York to continue into October but then I don’t think I could ever have predicted that I would take over 500 photos and do so much or that I would be moving house again so soon! I have about 48 hours left of my New York trip to report and then I can start planning my next trip in earnest! I am not entirely sure I want it all to end though!

The Lake, Central Park, 25 June 2009

After the Natural History Museum, I took a walk through Central Park and got slightly lost!

Bethesda Fountain, Central Park, 25 June 2009

Which is not a bad thing because I got to see the beautiful Lake and the stunning Bethesda Fountain. I could move to New York just for Central Park alone!

One day I will take the time to boat across the Lake or take a ride in a horse-drawn carriage.

New York day 5: Museum of Natural History

noreply@blogger.com (Emm) — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 21:29:00 PDT

After visiting the Dakota and the John Lennon memorial at Strawberry Fields, I walked north on Central Park West towards the American Museum of Natural History.

Astor Turret at the Museum of Natural History

It was an absolutely stunning day in New York and a welcome change from the rain that had drenched me the day before.

The Fourth Universalist Society and the New York Historical Society // The Astor Turret again

The American Natural History Museum

The lobby of the Natural History Museum

I think I might be spoiled by now! I walked around the skeleton of a gigantic dinosaur and took a perfunctory photograph without really taking in the significance of it all. This is a creature that roamed the Earth millions of years ago!!! Next time I visit a Natural History Museum, I shan’t take it for granted!

In my defence, I was rushing off to see the exhibition on the North West Coast Indians.

North West Coast Indians

I found this to be a fascinating exhibition. Coming from South Africa and England, I had never had first hand experience of Native American culture before and it was wonderful to see such a wide variety of differences between the different groups. I apologise for the shaky photography as the lighting was dim (for preservation purposes) in the hall and I was trying to take shots without a flash.

This is the museum’s oldest hall and contains material from the museum’s first major field exhibition, the Jesup North Pacific Exhibition between 1897 and 1902. This is considered to be one of the most important anthropological field studies ever made, according to the website.

Unfortunately, the exhibition left me with more questions than answers! How did they obtain the goods? Were they finds or where they taken from people? How do Native American people feel about ceremonial or spiritual items being on display at the museum? Are they happy to have a permanent record of their culture or do they want the items back?

Fearing reprisal from ancient Native American ancestral spirits, I made haste to the next exhibit!

The Warburg Hall of New York State Environment

Section of giant sequoia tree

I loved this section! It was really interesting. This is a section from a giant sequoia tree that began growing in 550AD and was felled in 1891. Thank goodness it is illegal to cut them down these days!

North American Forests

I really, really love forests and was quite chuffed that half of the last Harry Potter book took place in them! Couple that with my dream of driving across America on a road trip and it’s easy to see why I liked this exhibition. I won’t bore you with hundreds of photos of the various exhibits but it was great in that it showed that every part of the country has different forests and terrain.

Giant Cactus Forest, Saguaro, Tucson, AZ // Piñon-Juniper Forest, Colorado

Hall of Biodiversity

I was late for a very important date and ran past the Hall of Bioversity. I just had to take this photo though! Look at that thing!

Hayden Planetarium

Wow. How long is it since you’ve been to a planetarium? It must be at least fifteen years since I’ve been to one before this and the whole universe has changed! From worm holes to a new theory on how the moon was formed, the show at the Hayden Planetarium blew me away!

I love planetariums and I love space, stars, the universe – all of it! I certainly won’t wait another fifteen years before I go to another one!! After the show, I took a walk down the Heilbrunn Cosmic Pathway which shows you photographs dating back to the dawn of time. You read right! Because of the distances involved and the time light takes to travel, telescopes have managed to capture images dating back billions of years! Wow. I may have looked a bit silly as I walked along the pathway with my mouth hanging open in amazement. (Yes, yes. It has already been established that I’m a geek!)

That was it for the American Natural History Museum. I went in using my CityPass and that gave me free entry into the Hayden Planetarium too which was a saving. I would absolutely recommend visiting and would certainly go back again. As it is, I saw maybe 25% of the whole place!!

New York day 5: The Dakota & Strawberry Fields

noreply@blogger.com (Emm) — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 06:26:36 PDT

I’m taking a look at the time stamp on my photographs to see what time I set out on my fifth day in New York and, um, it looks like it was only about noon! I guess I was pretty tired from my very long day the day before.

My first stop was the Dakota which is an absolutely exquisite old apartment building built in 1884. It can be found on the corner of 72nd Street and Central Park West.

Apart from being visually stunning, the Dakota is famous because it is where John Lennon was living in 1980 and he was killed in the 72nd Street entrance (pictured left above) on December 8 1980. I stood by that entrance looking in and I got quite a chill now as I realised that was where he was shot. I don’t remember much about that day as I was only 7 but I remember my mother being devastated and I remember not being able to fathom that such a thing could happen. Yoko Ono still has an apartment in the building.

I then went across the road to Central Park to visit Strawberry Fields, the John Lennon memorial.

It took me a very, very long time to get the top picture. There were so many people there and everybody wanted a photograph. I’m not as shy to take photos with people in as I used to be but it just seemed that this was something you needed on its own. It is an interesting atmosphere and not at all sombre; there were tour groups, John Lennon lookalike singers and people from all walks of life just milling around and trying to capture the moment.

I took a look out into the teardrop-shaped park and wondered if John would have liked to be memorialised here. The park is pristine and it was easy to lose myself in its beauty and to feel peace for a moment as I was transported away from the bustling memorial behind me. I think John would have liked it and I felt a great sense of calm and acceptance, happy in the knowledge that this memorial has done him justice.

Calling all expats!

noreply@blogger.com (Emm) — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 04:17:36 PDT

The next World Blog Surf Day is taking place on October 31st 2009. This is an event open to all expat bloggers and it is an around-the-world blogging day. We all write on a theme or a different aspect of expat living and then link to another blog at the bottom of our post. That enables readers to take a round-the-world trip as they surf through our blogs.
If you are an expat or are currently living in a country different to that in which you grew up in, then please feel free to join us by clicking on this link to participate.
The theme for the next event has not been announced yet but the two previous themes (and links to my posts) were:

Living as an expat in another country: My life as a South African in London
The food edition: A South African braai in London

Edit: Oooh, Fat Bride Slim posted the link to vote for this edition's theme which I hadn't noticed before.

Moving update and London Fashion Week

noreply@blogger.com (Emm) — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 09:39:00 PDT

Well, the move took place with less bother than I had anticipated but we still have to give our old house a big spit and polish before we hand it over next week. When you are renting, it is never just enough to hand it over in the condition in which you received it. You have to really shine the place up and make a virtual show house of it if you hope to get your deposit back! We finished the upstairs last weekend and we had such a feeling of accomplishment when we finished on Saturday night! We were just in time to relax and catch up on X Factor from the week previous before watching the current X Factor episode. I was a big X Factor fan before they changed the format this year - there is no way I would have waited a week before watching it had it been last year!

Our Sky was only installed on Saturday morning which was the reason for the delay in television viewing and we received our telephone line on Monday morning. I'd advertise my home telephone number on this public blog only I hate talking on the telephone! I do it all day at work so spending my personal time on the phone is not my idea of fun. Oh, and there's that whole world of internet stalking that I'd like to avoid. (Sorry, not having internet access at home has started to make my brain go soft).

The great news is that our router arrived today and we will go live on Friday so normal programming should resume soon. A big thank you goes out to O2 Broadband who rushed our order in on Monday after we discovered that our previous provider, Be Broadband do not supply our area in Dartford. Be Broadband have absolutely super service and lightning fast internet speeds so I would absolutely recommend them. I was really sad when they confirmed that they could not supply our area but am happy to go with O2 as I am really satisfied with them being my mobile phone provider and they give three months free broadband. So smiles all round then!

In the meantime, I'm still trying to catch up with blogs and comments which is not easy with no home internet access! I do tend to spend my days working as unlikely as that might seem! If you visit the side of my blog, you'll see my Twitter feed. I often post links to other fantastic travel or photography blogs and websites so feel free to follow me. I follow all non-spammy, real people but do tend to shy away from people who post a hundred times a day!

Luella - London Fashion Week 2010 [source]

I've chatted about the fabulous Evening Standard reader offers and discount card before and this special was too good not to share. Get two for one tickets to events at the London Fashion Week by visiting the Evening Standard This Is London website.

It is the 25th anniversary this year and many top fashion houses have returned to London this year to celebrate so I’d really recommend going!

New York day 4: Mets vs. Cardinals

noreply@blogger.com (Emm) — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 12:48:28 PDT

It had been quite a day so far! I’d woken up in Manhattan, spent the morning at the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, the afternoon on both sides of Brooklyn Bridge and in the early evening, I made my way to Queens to Citi Field, the new world class home of the New York Mets. One of my biggest dreams had been to see live games of the major American sports - baseball, basketball, ice hockey and football and I am happy to say that I achieved one of those dreams that night!

New York Mets vs. St Louis Cardinals, 24 June 2009

The new Citi Field stadium is absolutely gorgeous and so classy inside! I was absolutely in awe and so obviously a tourist as I stood there taking photos!

I took my seat and hauled out my trusty notebook as I waited for the game to begin.

Well here I am, sitting in a slight drizzle at Citi Field, home of the New York Mets (sorry, that should be “New World-Class Home). I did a LOT today. In fact, I’ve done a lot this trip and I’m only half way through. Thank goodness I have an extra week to blog, read, sleep and rest next week!

Oh man, I hope this game goes ahead! They just took the ground cover off and put it back on again. Then again, it is raining again. I may just become cold and miserable soon!

I got here early as I skipped out the Lower East Side Tenement Museum. I had the chance to really relax for a while at Grimaldi’s and stayed a little while longer. Then there was the whole drowned ~~rat~~ Emm experience which took the better half of thirty minutes. The Tenement Museum sounds interesting but I’m getting a little weary of paying to get in everywhere and didn’t want to pay to get in and not have at least 90 minutes to go around there.

Thank heavens most of the museums and art galleries in London are free!

I’m seriously wavering about going to DC tomorrow. On the one hand, I could use the bus money to go to the Tenement Museum. I could also relax and take an afternoon off. On the other hand, I could use a change of scenery and I would LOVE to see the sights there.

I’m honestly losing memory of everything I’ve done!
Mon: Central Park, Empire State Building, Times Square and Tom’s Diner
Tues: Circle Line Tour, UN, Grand Central, New York Library and the Rockerfeller Center
Weds: Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, Wall Street, South Street Sea Port, Brooklyn, Grimaldi's and Mets Game

I must say, if it weren't for my precious little notebook and the chronological order of photos on my camera, I would never have remembered everything I did, thought and felt on my trip!

Finally, it was time for the game to begin!

I’d obtained tickets high up on the third tier for about $15 if I remember correctly. I’d really wanted to see the Mets vs. Yankees game on the Friday evening but the only tickets available were going to cost hundreds of dollars! Mostly, I was just pleased at the chance to see a real, live game.

Now I’ve been to live football games in England and cricket and rugby matches in South Africa but I have never experienced such a huge thrill before as I experienced that night. The atmosphere was absolutely electric and yes, in answer to Stephen’s first question, it was complete with the organ and the horns too. I had loads of fun shouting “Let’s Go Mets!” with the crowd and have to declare that I am now officially a New York Mets fan.

The one thing I had never really appreciated about baseball before is how short the innings are. Runs are few and far between but I was lucky enough to see a home run by Evans in the fourth innings. Unfortunately, my photo of the home run has a man standing in the middle of it as he shot into the air as I took it!

I eventually had to leave during the 8th innings though. I was absolutely freezing and wasn’t sure if Stephen would appreciate me charging a New York Mets sweater to his credit card. I’d like to say for the record how deeply I regret the decision not to buy one and I will certainly do so next time I am in New York!

The final score was Mets 11, Cardinals 0. This is the scoring summary for those of you who are interested.

I caught the subway home from Citi Field all the way to West 110th Street for the princely sum of $2. Take that London! What you lose in new York on admission fees, you certainly make up in the cost of transport!

As I came to the end of the fourth day in New York, I found myself insanely gleeful to be be in bed after spending at least fifteen minutes defrosting under a steaming hot shower. I was more tired than I could remember being before but I was pleased with everything I had done so far.

Bits and Bobs

noreply@blogger.com (Emm) — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 09:33:00 PDT

Hi everybody. I don’t often make off-topic posts but I been wanting to say hi for a little while now and to share a couple of things. Don’t worry – I’ll be back soon with a post on one of my most memorable and exciting experiences in New York!

Christmas Plans

I've just booked our Christmas stay at the Hawkwell House Hotel in Oxford. That is the wonderful cosy hotel we stayed in last year while we were on our Road Trip around England. As you can see from the image below, I didn’t get a chance to take my own photo of the hotel and that is just not good enough for a budding photographer such as myself!

Picture courtesy of HawkwellHouse.co.uk

So, the plan is to spend Christmas there and take the time to sit by that gorgeous fire and sip some hot chocolate and generally have a cosy, happy Christmas. And to take some of my own photos of course. We usually spend Christmas in Liverpool with my Dad but unfortunately have to stay near London this year as Stephen is on call.

Blogging friends

This blog has grown so much in such a short time. When Emm in London was featured as a Blog of Note, my subscribers increased from 80 to over 750 in one week. It has been crazy trying to keep up with that! As you may have noticed, I respond to each and every comment on my blog (eventually) and I always visit commenter’s blogs to learn more about them. But Google Friend Connect isn’t really user friendly and I’m struggling to wade through this buggy application to find the blogs of everyone now following me.

Let me just say that I appreciate everyone who reads, follows, subscribes and comments on this blog. Thank you – you absolutely make it a pleasure to blog; I don’t take it for granted and I am humbled that people would take the time. If you are following and have wondered why I haven’t visited your blog or noticed you then I do apologise. If you do take the time to comment and introduce yourself then it will make it so much easier for me! So don’t be shy!

Spam

Having said that, like most bloggers out there today, I do delete spam comments on my blog. If you are unsure what spam is, then you can visit this excellent post. Don’t let the article scare you away from commenting though; basically, spam is when you comment on someone’s blog and don’t really read what they say at all but leave a link in the body saying “visit my blog!” or “read my blog post!”. It’s not really a nice thing to do and it’s a little rude. I’m more likely to give people the benefit of the doubt but often have to delete spam comments from obvious spammers.

Comment Form

There are pros and cons to using the comment form that I use. The pro is that if you log in with your name and URL (blog address) you’ll get a link straight to your blog. The con is that it is also buggy and it often gives you a nasty error message. If you get that error message, just try press “post comment” again and it should eventually work. Like I said, it’s just buggy.

Links

In the past, I’ve always had my links open in a new window but recently I have been told that this is a bad practice and that the links get caught in people’s pop up blockers. I use a tabbed browser and open all my links in another tab and carry on reading the original page, so I thought other people would do that too. What do you think? Do you prefer links to open in a new window / tab or do you prefer to click on a link and immediately go to that page? I’ve turned it off for this post now but await your feedback!

Moving House (again)

I only moved to the UK in July 2007 and moved into our first rental in September 2007. After a year, the owner decided to sell and we had to move. This year again the exact same thing has happened and we have to move again! It is crazy and I wish we had a little stability. The good news is that we hope to be able to get on to the property market in a year, the bad news is I have to do my least favourite thing on earth – move.

So, this is happening next week. My posts might be a little patchy as I unfortunately don’t have a library of ready-made and scheduled posts waiting for me!! Bad blogger! Please bear with me over the next couple of weeks and I’ll be back with regular posts after that.

The very good news is that I am moving to Dartford which is a lovely old town on the very outskirts of London. Actually, I think it is officially outside of London. Hopefully, I’ll get to do more adventuring and touring around Dartford than I managed to do around Sidcup.

That’s all I have to say today. Like I said, I don’t often make posts like this but I did just wanted to touch base with people and say hi and thank you and don’t be shy but try not to spam.

New York day 4: Both Sides of Brooklyn Bridge

noreply@blogger.com (Emm) — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 10:51:04 PDT

Once I had finished my tour of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, I took the free Downtown Connection from Battery Park to Wall Street.

Wall Street

Click on the photos for enlargements

Looking down Wall Street (with Trinity Church visible at the end) and the foot of the Trump Building

Wall Street runs through the heart of the Financial District in Lower Manhattan. I expected more flash and evidence of the grinding wheels of capitalism but Wall Street is a rather ordinary looking street.

On the other hand, The New York Stock Exchange is anything but ordinary looking. Majestic was the word that came to mind!

The New York Stock Exchange

This was such a big, grand building and I just couldn’t manage to fit the whole building in the frame! I loved the detail on the building and would have loved to have gone inside but apparently they don’t allow members of the public anymore.

The Federal Hall National Memorial

Across the road from the New York Stock Exchange is the Federal Hall National Memorial. The Federal Hall was the first Capitol of the USA and the Bill of Rights was passed there. It is free to get into the Memorial and they are open weekdays from 9am to 5pm. Unfortunately, I didn’t realise the significance of the building at the time and didn’t go inside. I will have to go back there one day!

South Street Seaport

From Wall Street, I took a walk up to the historic South Street Seaport District. This is the most exquisite and old area where the streets have cobblestones and the area has been around since the 17th century. Some of the restored buildings are from the 18th and 19th century!

South Street Seaport

You can visit the South Street Seaport Museum for $10 and it looks really worth it but I was a little wet (see the rain in the photo above) and a little hungry so I got on the subway and went to Brooklyn.

Brooklyn

The Brooklyn US Post Office in Cadman Plaza

My immediate impression of Brooklyn is that there is a lot more open space and room to move than Manhattan. Manhattan is exhilarating and exciting but I imagine a lot of people might prefer the space in Brooklyn.

Cadman Plaza Park and the Brooklyn War Memorial

The inscription on the Brooklyn War Memorial reads:

This memorial is dedicated
to the heroic men and women of the Borough of Brooklyn
who fought for liberty in the Second World War 1941-1945
and especially those who suffered and died.
May their sacrifice inspire future generations
and lead to universal peace.

Eventually, I found my way to Grimaldi's Pizzeria under the Brooklyn Bridge where you can find the best pizza ~~on Earth~~ in New York according to Zagat.

Grimaldi's Pizzeria under the Brooklyn Bridge

I had an anchovy, capers and black olive pizza. A word to the wise, the pizzas are huge, you can’t ask for slices and they are moderately pricey so I would absolutely recommend going to the pizzeria in a group so that you can share. They don’t accept credit cards either so make sure you have cash. But yes, the pizza that was Frank Sinatra’s favourite was indeed absolutely amazing and the homeless man I gave my leftovers to called me an angel from heaven when I told him it was Grimaldi’s pizza.

Unfortunately, it was absolutely pouring with rain when I got out of the pizzeria and I got soaked through!

The Brooklyn Bridge and the Tobacco Warehouse

I stood in a door way for a while willing myself to find a way up to the top of the bridge. This particular area of Brooklyn is known as “Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Underpass” or DUMBO for short and if you’d like to learn more about this historic and beautiful area, visit the Dumbo, NYC blog.

The Tobacco Warehouse

I left the shelter of the doorway and then a kind man let me stand in his parking garage for quite some time as the rain came pounding down. I eventually left the garage with the intention of finding the steps up to the top of the bridge but then just asked for directions to the subway and decided to make my way to my evening’s destination. I was too wet and bedraggled by that stage to do much else!

I still can’t quite believe that I went all the way to New York and to Brooklyn and that I didn’t walk back along the Brooklyn Bridge.

I definitely have to visit this city again and my husband recently said that the first thing we would do when he got his British passport would be to visit New York! Could it be that I’ll be writing posts about our visit at Christmas 2010? I hope so.

Carnival of Cities Blog Carnival

noreply@blogger.com (Emm) — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 16:01:01 PDT

Welcome to the August 26, 2009 edition of the Carnival of Cities. This is a blog carnival that is organised by Sheila Scarborough of Sheila's Guide To The Good Stuff and BootsnAll Family Travel Logue fame and is hosted on a different blog every two weeks.

This post will be a wonderful opportunity to tour the world via one blog post and I encourage you to click on the links below and see the carnival of photos, stories and experiences. The focus of the carnival is on any aspect of a single city or a fair sized town. If you are a blogger and you have written a relevant post, why don’t you submit it for possible inclusion in our next carnival?

The next edition (on September 9) will be hosted on the Wandering Educators blog; click here to submit an entry for consideration. If you’d like to take a turn as host, please email Sheila “at” sheilascarborough “dot” com.

Are you all ready? Starting with Europe and Asia and then on to Australasia and the Americas, it is time to travel!

Cities in Europe

Ljubljana, Slovenia Shannon ODonnell tells a wonderful, colourful story with Street Theatre and Summer Festivals in Ljublijana posted at a little adrift: a rtw travelogue, saying, "The summer atmosphere was quite alive in Slovenia with their annual Street Theatre Festival and summer ballet in the park."

Bristol, England With a flair of colour and adventure, Heatheronhertravels presents I’ve been to the Night Glow at the Bristol Balloon Fiesta - Video posted at Heather on her travels, saying, "Every year my home town of Bristol hosts a balloon festival, and as I'd never been in 20 years here, I though it was about time for me to experience the Night Glow."

Riviera Corniches, France Mick Hart presents Driving Through The Riviera Corniches In France posted at Globe Cheap Travel, saying, "There are literally 1000’s of places worth seeing on this planet in a life time, and just as many things to experience. Since our days in this world are numbered, it’s a good idea to start traveling!!"

Oxford, Oxfordshire, England Rachel Cotterill takes a walk through her Oxford in Beyond The Dreaming Spires posted at Rachel's Ramblings.

Paris, France Andi takes us to the romance capital of the world in Le Procope Paris - dining in rich history posted at Misadventures with Andi.

London, England William Wallace gives you the best of London with What Is The Best Free View In London Well Let Me Tell You! posted at London Is Cool.

Scheveningen, The Hague, The Netherlands Happy Hotelier presents Postcards from Scheveningen – A Plea to revive the Scheveningen High Back Beach Chair posted at Happy Hotelier, saying, "I really miss those high back beach chairs. Any suggestions of a modern equivalent?"

London, England Travelbug gives presents a fantastic list of Free things to do in London posted at Travelbug's blog.

Cochem, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany Jim treats us to a lovely evening in Wandering in Cochem posted at Wanderlust Journey.

Amsterdam, The Netherlands Lena surprises us with 3 Facts: Amsterdam posted at The Colors Magazine., saying “You either fall in love with the city immediately or… a bit later”.

Paris, France Neal Ebbett takes you around Paris in a whirlwind tour in Paris - July 09 posted at Neal and Rochelles Overseas Adventures.

Cities in Asia

Mitaka, Tokyo, Japan Sheila Scarborough delights with A magical visit to Hayao Miyazaki’s Ghibli Museum in Japan posted at Family Travel Guide, saying, "If you like the new movie Ponyo, learn more about its creator Hayao Miyazaki at his Ghibli Museum, near Tokyo."

Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu, India AdmirableIndia.com presents sunset on a beautiful beach in Beach near the Shore Temple: Part 1 Tamil Nadu posted at AdmirableIndia.com.

Minato Mirai, Yokohama, Japan Tony Alexander dazzles us with Back In Minato Mirai, Yokohama, Japan posted at The Soul of Japan, saying, "After returning to this city after a short vacation I am reminded of the little things I do like most about this city".

Cities in Australasia

Sydney, Australia Mike Bergin presents Urban Cockatoos, Sydney over at 10,000 Birds, saying, "Charlie Moores puts together a beautiful presentation of urban Sulphur-crested Cockatoos in Sydney, Australia."

Cities in the Americas

Los Angeles, California, USA Jack Norell presents August 2009 means free gigs in Los Angeles posted at Eyeflare - Travel Articles and Tips, saying, "During this August, L.A. celebrates the warm weather with loads of free concerts all over the city."

Las Vegas, Nevada, USA Glowing Face Man takes you to Vegas with My Vegas Trip: The Stratosphere Tower Hotel posted at Glowing Face Man: Awaken the Badass Within.

Washington, D.C., USA presents Tysons Corner – Washington DC’s Upscale Center for Shopping posted at The DC Traveler – Washington DC travel & tourism information, saying, "While Washington, DC may be known for Smithsonian museums, monuments to presidents and memorials, it also has some first-class shopping at Tysons Corner."

Austin, Texas, USA Collin really stimulates the traveller in me with Summer Fun Activities - Austin,Tx posted at Travel Ideas and Tips, saying, "Submitting post about my charming city Austin, Texas."

Indianapolis, Indiana, USA Becky Harris presents The State Fair and Racing Cockroaches posted at One Short Day, saying, "About one aspect of Indianapolis, IN.....the state fair!"

Seattle, Washington, USA Jessie Voigts describes culinary delights in Eating your way through Seattle - with a child in tow! posted at Wandering Educators, saying, "Best places to eat in Seattle - All kid-friendly"

Cancún, Quintana Roo, Mexico One Family presents Cancun Trip Report posted at One Family's Blog, saying, "A trip report to Cancun with a frugal perspective."

New York, New York, USA NYC, If You Are discusses The Best Part About Getting Evicted posted at NYC, If You Are, saying, "My experience, searching for an apartment on Craig's List after getting evicted. Written by a NYC local."

Tucson, Arizona, USA Kevin Grieves takes us back into the history of Tucson with On this day in history: Tucson, Arizona founded, 1775 posted at The Modern Historian.

Zarcero, Costa Rica Marina K. Villatoro presents an absolute treat with Edward Scissorhands Escaped and Was Found in Zarcero, Costa Rica - Photo Friday posted at The Travel Expert(a), saying, "Fun Town in Costa Rica!"

New Orleans, Louisiana, USA Jennifer presents The Insectarium – New Orleans, Louisiana posted at Two Kids and a Map, saying, "The Insectarium is the first new attraction to open up in New Orleans, Louisiana. Even if you don't love creepy crawlies, it is worth a visit!"

Québec City, Québec, Canada Corinne McDermott delights us with Ville de Québec avec un bébé (Québec City With Baby) posted at Have Baby Will Travel, saying, "As a first-time mom, I would never have believed that traveling with such a young baby would be so easy".

Aguascalientes, Mexico Tim Leffel presents Mexico's Museum of Death posted at Tim Leffel's Cheapest Destinations, saying, "A bizarre museum in the city of Aguascalientes, Mexico".

Lima, Peru Timothy Scott presents Lima on the Upswing posted at Luxury Latin America Blog, saying, "Maybe there's a reason or two to hang around Lima after all..."

Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA Wendy presents Santa Fe's Oldest posted at Escape From New York, saying, "Santa Fe, New Mexico the USA’s oldest state capital also boasts the oldest church, house and continuously occupied building."

New York, New York, USA Christina kicks off her New England trip with New England Trip- NYC posted at Travel Girl.

Virginia Beach, Virginia, USA Christopher Kendalls presents Virginia Beach Set to Buy Old Circuit City Property; Expect to See Expansion of Town Center posted at Associated Content, saying, "What will happen to Town Center, aka "downtown" Virginia Beach now that the city may purchase the old Circuit City property?"

Monterrey, Mexico Silicon Valley Blogger presents Why Study Abroad? Get Educated In A Foreign Country posted at The Digerati Life, saying, "I discuss studying abroad a place such as Monterrey, Mexico, for example!"

That concludes this edition. Thank you for visiting Emm in London and I hope you stop by again if this was your first visit.

Submit your (one, non-spammy) blog post about any aspect of any SINGLE city to the next edition of the Carnival of Cities using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Blog carnival: Carnival of Cities

noreply@blogger.com (Emm) — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 13:15:01 PDT

If you are a blogger and you have written a post about any aspect of any single city then please submit a post for the Carnival of Cities Blog Carnival that I am hosting on Wednesday.

There are loads of people that have signed up already and this is such a good carnival.

For those of you that won’t be participating, make sure you reserve some time in your calendars on Wednesday to take a round the world trip with me!

London: The City, the Monument & the Bridge

noreply@blogger.com (Emm) — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 10:52:11 PDT

Last year I took a rather hectic course in Health and Safety and I promised myself that I would reward myself with a photography course when it was all over. Of course, that was followed by a rather hectic nine months (some of which you can read about here) and suddenly it was August and I hadn’t done anything about it! Well, luckily I found out about The Photo School through meetup.com. The Photo School offers an introductory composition workshop which is currently only £20 for three hours.

I attended the workshop on Saturday and I found it to be massively informative and helpful. The class was a nice mix of people who ranged from absolute beginners to a portrait photographer. There were only two of us with “point and click” cameras and everyone else had SLRs.

We met at The Crosse Keys Pub in Bank which is across the road from the old Victorian Leadenhall Market. What an amazing place!

Click on any of the photos below for an enlargement.

Interior of the Crosse Keys Pub

The Crosse Keys Pub is exquisite. I am starting to think that I need to go on an introductory architecture course or something as I would love to place the styles inside the pub.

Leadenhall Market, London

One of the things they told us about on the workshop were lines and perspectives. The Leadenhall Market was great for that.

As I left the market, I came upon the ugliest building I have ever seen in my life.

This is the Lloyds Building, also known as the “Inside Out Building”. I’m not entirely sure the building has any redeeming qualities to be honest and I am a huge lover of architecture of all types and styles. I was trying to play with perspective again in this photo and using my corners.

I thought it looked quite nice reflected off the Willis Building though.

I found a British flag!! I might have to ask Lloyd’s of London why it was flying at half mast though. (In case you’re confused, we were talking about flags in this post).

St Andrew Undershaft Church contrasted against "The Gherkin"

We learnt about contrasting old and new in the course and I just love this photo. The proper name for “The Gherkin” is 30 St Mary Axe.

We also learned about the rule of thirds. This couple was having their wedding photos taken at the foot of “The Gherkin”.

I thought this was the archetypal London photo! I liked the flags too.

The Crosse Keys Pub from the outside

More flags! We all agreed this photo would have been better if the car were further on into the photo.

Our teacher liked this photo. It made me want a better camera so that I could get the depth of field right. I promised myself that I would learn to use my camera first before I got a new SLR camera though.

After the workshop, I decided to walk to London Bridge station. It is approximately a fifteen minute walk. I got to see The Monument with my own eyes for the very first time!

The Monument was designed by Sir Christopher Wren and built to commemorate the lives that were lost in the Great Fire of London in 1666. It was built between 1671 and 1677 and was a celebration of the rebuilding of the City.

It is lovely and I would certainly like to go back one day when it is open. They have an observation deck at the top which only costs £3 for adults and £2 for children. Can you imagine how beautiful the view must be of the grand old City of London? Oh look! You can see a webcam of the view!

How beautiful is that detail?

It was just a short walk further until I arrived at the Thames.

That is the Southwark Cathedral you can see there in the distance. I have a real soft spot for the cathedral as I photographed it on the day I first interviewed for my job in 2007. I got the job and in fact, started there two years ago today. The cathedral is therefore a sort of good luck charm for me.

I walked under London Bridge and took one last photo of Southwark Cathedral before taking a little corridor back up to the top of London Bridge.

Creepy ancient corridor and Southwark Cathedral

London has such beautiful structures and buildings and I was glad to have a chance to appreciate it. Despite my insistence that I work in central London, I still find myself taking a lot for granted. This little excursion on the weekend really opened my eyes again and I can’t wait to go on my next adventure.

Tower Bridge, HMS Belfast (peeking out behind the cruise liner) and the Mayor's Office

I wonder if the day will ever come when I tire of taking photos of Tower Bridge? I doubt it and I certainly hope not!

New York day 4: Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island

noreply@blogger.com (Emm) — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 15:36:58 PDT

I got up bright and early on the Wednesday morning and made my way down to Battery Park. Despite my tired and jetlagged state, I still managed to notice how pretty it is down there.

I got onto one of the first ferries of the day and we set off for Liberty Island.

[Click on the photos for larger images]

Battery Park City

As you can see, it was a lovely sunny day with clear blue skies. Not. I’d been pretty upbeat about the cloudy skies up to that point but was really wishing for some sunshine! Thankfully, the clouds began to part as I got onto Liberty Island and I decided to take a self-portrait of sorts.

You enter Liberty Island to the back of the Statue of Liberty. On my way around to the front, I came across this interesting set of statuettes of people that were of importance to the Statue in some way.

Édouard de Laboulaye, Frédéric Bartholdi, Alexandre Eiffel, Joseph Pulitzer and Emma Lazarus

Édouard de Laboulaye conceived of the idea of the statue of “Liberty Enlightening the World”, which is the official name of the Statue of Liberty.
Frédéric Bartholdi was the sculptor who designed and sculpted the statue.
Alexandre Eiffel built the iron skeleton that supports the statue. (Of course, he is most famous for the Eiffel Tower in Paris).
Joseph Pulitzer popularised the project and raised money for the pedestal in the American Pedestal Fund campaign.
Emma Lazarus is famous for writing “The New Colossus”, the final lines of which are engraved on a plaque on the pedestal of the Statue. The sonnet was commissioned as part of the efforts to raise money for the pedestal and you are sure to recognise parts of it: “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free”.

As I walked around to the front of the statue, the clouds parted and there was a burst of sunshine. I was so pleased! It didn’t last long but I was happy with the photos I got.

I learned quite a few interesting points about the Statue. She is made of copper and weathering has turned her the green colour she is today. There are 310 pieces of shaped copper that make up her body and the copper sheets are only as thin as two pennies. Her torch represents enlightenment and the notion that law and reason develop through scholarly pursuits in democratic society.

The seven spikes on her crown represent the seven continents and she gazes towards the old world, the world of emperors and kings. The inscription on her tablet reads “July IV, MDCCLXXVI” which is the date the declaration of independence was signed (July 4th, 1776).

The cloak of the statue was meant to bring to mind the Roman goddess of liberty, Libertas. Her feet are actually stepping forwards as if she might step off the pedestal. This is to represent the idea of progress, moving forward, breaking the shackles. Finally, her facial features show strength and determination. Shoo! I will never take the Statue for granted again! This is such a rich source of idealism and symbolism – it really is amazing!

I then hopped onto the ferry again and went off to Ellis Island.

Ellis Island was one of the best experiences of my whole trip by far. Ellis Island is “the symbol of American immigration and the immigration experience” according to their website and while the Statue would have been the first thing immigrants saw as they entered new York harbour, they would have spent the most important part of their immigration experience at Ellis Island.

I spent a long time going through the full exhibition at Ellis Island, reading up on the immigrants’ experiences and the psychological and physical tests that they would have taken.

Actual immigrants' luggage

As I walked up the stairs and into the Registry Room, I was quite awed and almost had tears in my eyes. It was a strangely touching experience which was greatly enhanced by taking the audio tour that came free with my CityPass ticket. By the way, if you ever have the opportunity, I’d always recommend taking audio tours. You don’t have to listen to them if they are bad but they are often really informative.

The Registry Room

The Hearing Room and samples of foreign currency that the immigrants brought with them

All told, the exhibition at Ellis Island is fantastic with loads of artefacts and pieces of real New York history. They stopped using Ellis Island as the main facility for immigrants entering the US in 1954 but visiting Ellis Island makes it all seem so real. Don’t be tempted to miss it out!

At home: The Return of the Prodigal Cat

noreply@blogger.com (Emm) — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 14:00:22 PDT

I interrupt my normal programming to tell you a story about my beloved boy cat Seth. Some of you may have met Seth earlier this year as he was the star of our Snow Day and provided endless laughs and entertainment.

Seth has been spending more and more time away from home lately because my neighbours keep feeding him pilchards and it has been making me quite sad. By Friday night, we hadn’t seen him for two weeks although my one friendly neighbour said he had seen him. I have to admit to being on the verge of tears on Friday and was planning a door to door canvas on Saturday morning.

Thankfully, Stephen came and woke me up on Saturday morning with a bundle of black and white fluff in his arms.

Seth's Jedi mind tricks made his eyes glow

I expected cuddles and purring and all sorts but as you can see, he headed straight for the bedroom door and used Jedi mind tricks to try will it to open and let him out. Well, he lost that particular fight. We took him to the vet for a complete check up and make sure he got his booster inoculations plus his worms and flea treatments. I also put a collar on him with a bell, to try irritate my neighbours and of course, stop him catching any birds. We’ve kept him locked inside the whole weekend with us which has been incredibly stuffy but we’re just trying to wean him off my neighbours and his wild, wandering ways. I’m fully aware that we may not succeed.

We had a nice long afternoon nap together yesterday and he also spent the whole day with me today.

The vet had joked that the cat had gone feral and as you can see, he does have black paws which I have always believed to be the sign of a feral cat. The thing that concerns me most is the grazing you can see on his back, right leg there.

The moral of the story? Don’t feed other people’s pets please. It’s not cute or endearing. Pets should be encouraged to return to their own homes every night and you can bet that I would have tended to Seth’s graze at the time if he had come home. The neighbours might be charmed by my friendly little cat but we’re the ones who love him and eagerly accept the responsibility of paying for vets bills when necessary.

I’ve sent away for a tag to go on his collar. It will say his name and my number on the one side and “pls do not feed me” on the other. [insert mental image of me looking determined here]

Read more about Seth and Summer by clicking here.

Normal posts on my trip to New York will resume this week. I also have a couple of summery London posts to share.

Concert: Mika at Roundhouse

noreply@blogger.com (Emm) — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 04:42:29 PDT

Last Friday night I did something I never would have thought I’d do - I went to a Mika concert. See, I like a lot of music but I am very particular about what I do and don’t like. The biggest representation on my iPod is in the genres Indie Rock, Alternative and Progressive Trance. I don’t usually listen to mainstream run of the mill pop. Stephen likes Mika though and so I entered online at Evening Standard for free tickets and won a pair.

It was the last performance of the iTunes Live Festival at the Roundhouse in Camden that had featured the likes of Kasabian, Placebo and Franz Ferdinand (all bands that I have seen in concert and would sell ~~my husband~~ my soul to see again live). It was the second time I’ve been to Roundhouse – the first was to see Shpongle last year. We’re going to see Shpongle again this year at the Roundhouse for their Halloween gig and I can't wait.

So, what did Little Miss Music Snob think of the wildly eccentric and theatrical Mika? I loved him. I thought he was absolutely great and I would even buy his new album (with the ten free iTunes downloads I got with the ticket!)

The concert was being recorded live and broadcast on ITV and he wasn’t meant to swear (apparently the fine for swearing on prime time TV is £10,000 per word but I can’t find any links). Well, after his first honest mistake, he threw all caution to the wind and seemed quite happy to swear away whatever fee they were paying him for performing that night. I think broadcasters should get over themselves anyway – it hasn’t got any better since they tried to prevent Jim Morrison from saying “higher” on television. While I wouldn’t usually advocate foul language, it has to be said that his original songs have swearing so what did they expect?

Mika is an excellent and entertaining live performer and he really is talented. He has an excellent voice and he absolutely engages the crowd. It is so refreshing to see a performer sing his heart out live on stage when so many acts just go through the motions.

Throughout the show there were hands in the air, lots of glitter and streamers, stars and lots and lots of love. It was an uplifting and enjoyable show and I would recommend to anybody that they go see a Mika show at least once. Who knows, you might have fun despite yourself and land up bouncing up and down and dancing and singing. Or is that just me?

New York day 3: Grand Central, New York Public Library and Rockerfeller Center

noreply@blogger.com (Emm) — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 21:30:00 PDT

After visiting the United Nations, I decided to walk west up East 43rd Street towards Grand Central Terminal.

Tudor City park

First I passed the exquisite Tudor City park. I love gardens like this and would have loved to have sat quietly for a while but I decided to press on.

I entered Grand Central from the side. I wish I had looked up for a moment instead of being transfixed by the sight of Grand Central because I passed right underneath the Chrysler Building!

Grand Central Terminal concourse

After seeing Grand Central so many times on television and screen before, it was great to actually be there and to experience this grand, old, majestic building.

Click on the photos for enlargements

I will certainly take a tripod with me the next time I visit a place like this! It was pretty hard to get a steady shot.

Grand Central Terminal

What a lovely building! New York is full of wonderful buildings that are as impressive on the inside as they are on the outside. I will never cease to be amazed by such wonder and I think that is because I grew up in Johannesburg, South Africa which was only founded in 1886. If you imagine that a city takes time to build up momentum and start erecting grand buildings, then you’ll understand that there aren’t many structures in Johannesburg that are more than 100 years old. Most of the older, surviving buildings were residences too as opposed to skyscrapers or super structures.

I finally decided to look up as I was walking away from Grand Central towards New York Public Library.

The Chrysler Building

You may notice an incredible amount of United States flags in my photos. There are two reasons for this. One, they are everywhere. Two, I think national pride is something to be, well, proud of.

I really wish the country I live in didn’t feel shamed into not displaying their flag. I think it is great that you see the Stars and Stripes everywhere in the States and I wish the British would get over themselves and display their flag more. (There are certain days in the UK when the Union Jack should be flown from government buildings. The same can be said for other countries of course, except those days are called “every day”). Naturally, the most beautiful flag in the world to me will probably always be the new South African flag because of what it represents.

New York Public Library

I arrived at the New York Public Library just after 6pm and was happy to see that it was open for a couple more hours. I am sure you have figured out that I have an absolute love affair with buildings old and new, but that is nothing compared to my massive love of libraries. I absolutely love them and I visit our local library every single week. This is, of course, linked to my love for books and reading.

The most majestic part of the library has to be the main reading room.

New York Public Library, main reading room

How beautiful is that? All of those books just lining the walls… yes, I am a geek. No, it isn’t curable. Just to prove that, I sat down for half an hour to read up on some of the stuff I’d learned at the UN. V, I thought of you the whole time I was there. I think you would have loved it too!

Before I left this wonderful place, I went to an exhibition downstairs called “Between Collaboration and Resistance”. It was about French authors during the occupation of France in the second world war and the ways in which their writing was used either in collaboration or resistance. I saw the original hand-written manuscript of Jean-Paul Sartre’s La Mort Dans L’ame. I simply stood and looked at it for the longest time, awestruck. Mostly, I was thankful that I’d only tried to decipher an English translation of the book and not Sartre’s handwriting.

After leaving the library, I wondered up Fifth Avenue towards the Rockerfeller Center. I was really taken with the Rockerfeller Center and I wish I had spent more time there or visited it again later in my stay. It was such a lively, festive area with a great vibe – it must be awesome to visit at Christmas time with the Christmas tree and the ice rink!

The Rockerfeller Plaza

It was almost 9pm by this time and it felt like it had been the longest day! After all, I’d done the Circle Line Tour, visited the United Nations and then spent about four hours wandering around midtown Manhattan!

St Patrick's Cathedral // Radio City // Godiva

I realised I wasn’t going to be much more use that day and I headed back to the apartment for a nice long shower, some more leftover dim sum and then I curled up with my book.