Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Archive for london
Indoors at the Globe
By Linda Tancs
Like in Shakespeare’s time, London’s Globe Theatre is open to the elements–thus sometimes hath the brightest day a cloud, as The Bard wrote in Henry VI. But even the staunchest theatregoer wouldn’t mind some cover, 17th century protocols notwithstanding. That’s where the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse comes in. The newest addition to the Globe is an indoor candlelit theatre, accessible through the main foyer. The venue offers plays, concerts, opera and comedy. The Globe is best accessed on foot. Use a footpath along the Thames from Waterloo or Southwark Bridge.
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Gliding at Canary Wharf
By Linda Tancs
London’s Canary Wharf boasts the city’s first skate path, a trail adjacent to the main ice rink leading skaters under lighted trees. For the timid, a limited number of skate aids are available to keep you vertical. Even wheelchairs are welcome on the ice. Enjoy it until 16 February.
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Getting to Know Wallace
By Linda Tancs
If you were asked to name London’s best museums, what would be on your list? The British Museum? V&A? Tate? National Gallery? Chances are, you wouldn’t think of The Wallace Collection. Featuring the collections of the first four Marquesses of Hertford and Sir Richard Wallace, the son of the 4th Marquess, this national museum boasting 25 galleries is a real gem located in Hertford House, a London townhouse. Its most prominent exhibits include paintings by Titian, Rembrandt, Hals and Velázquez and eighteenth-century French paintings, porcelain, furniture and gold boxes. But don’t stop there. Be sure to view the stunning array of Limoges enamels and striking arms and armor. Beat the crowds and visit on New Year’s Day.
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The World’s Largest Tablet in London
By Linda Tancs
As previously noted, London’s Trafalgar Square attracts interesting exhibitions, artful and otherwise. The latest one to hit the famous meetup space is Microsoft’s installation of a colossal Surface 2 tablet. Smack in the middle of the square, the tablet measures 27 feet in width and 17 feet in height. And it works, too. Of course, this isn’t the corporate behemoth’s first foray into interactive art–remember the giant Windows phone in New York’s Herald Square?
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A Rare Glimpse of a Goldsmiths’ Pavilion
By Linda Tancs
The Goldsmiths’ Company, founded in London to regulate the craft and trade of the goldsmith, received its first royal charter in 1327. Thanks to its efforts you can be assured of the quality of gold, silver and more recently, platinum. The guild is housed in Goldsmiths’ Hall, a hidden gem just northeast of St. Paul’s Cathedral at the junction of Foster Lane and Gresham Street. The palatial-style building is never open to the public except during exhibitions and designated open days. That’s why the Goldsmiths’ Fair is a great opportunity to steep yourself in its long history. Taking place from 23 to 29 September and then from 1 to 6 October, the fair gives discerning collectors the world over a chance to meet the up-and-coming designers of jewelry and silverware design.
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The Bionic Man
By Linda Tancs
Television viewers may remember the show The Six Million Dollar Man, a popular series about a former astronaut named Steve with bionic implants who goes after the bad guys as a secret agent. Steve, meet Rex. That’s the new bionic man appearing now at the Science Museum in London. Created for less than one million dollars, Rex is the world’s first complete bionic man, featuring an artificial circulatory system and organs. Life (or should I say, science) imitates art–and at a price much less than six million dollars.
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Visit the Tea Experts
By Linda Tancs
Thomas Twining bought a coffee shop in London in 1706 and distinguished himself from the competition by selling tea. Since then, Twinings has become synonymous with tea. The flagship shop at 216 Strand in London is a mecca for tea aficionados. The location offers a free tasting bar, a museum, tea classes and, of course, a wide range of tea accessories, teas and infusions. Stop by for a cuppa.
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An Underground Celebration
By Linda Tancs
London’s famed Underground–the Tube–is celebrating 150 years of service this month. The oldest of all underground systems, it comprises 250 miles of track, circuiting the capital both overground and underground. Its 426 escalators perform the equivalent of two trips around the world every week, and the miles traveled per year add up to 90 return trips to the moon. On that note, we love you to the moon and back–and happy anniversary!
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The Neverending Drawing
By Linda Tancs
London’s V&A Museum is the world’s largest museum of decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 4 million objects. It is, one might say, neverending. Amongst those collections you might miss the Neverending Drawing, a piece of public art beckoning your contribution. Launched in 2004 at the RIBA architecture gallery, just open the walnut box housing the drawing and add your own interpretation of the theme, The Street.
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Hyde Park’s Winter Wonderland
By Linda Tancs
Are you ready for some Christmas cheer? If so, then head to London’s Hyde Park for the annual Winter Wonderland. You’ll feel the arctic chill at the Ice Kingdom, set at -8° celsius. There are also ice skating sessions (one hour long), two circus shows (Zippos and Cirque Berserk) and a giant ferris wheel to wow the kids. You can even get some holiday shopping in; over 100 stalls await you. A new Yuletide Market is at the west end of the park, too. This spectacular destination will be open until 6 January from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. (except for Christmas Day). You can get there via Hyde Park Corner, Green Park, Knightsbridge or Marble Arch. Admission to the park is free, but you must have tickets for ice skating, the circus and the ferris wheel. Book early!
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