The Fourth Day: Victoria & Albert Museum Sketching, Hyde Park, Kensington Palace

Sick of me yet, guys? WELL THEN QUIT READING!
Wait, don't go! Please. Sorry. I don't know what came over me.

Monday, February 10:
I went back to the V&A today! There's still so much of this place I haven't seen. But don't worry, I'm pretty sure I found my favorite exhibits. There's a Theatre and Performance Collection! But more on that later.

Remember how I told you guys yesterday that I was going to do art? Don't laugh, 'kay? Here it comes!
This is what I was supposed to be drawing:

This is how it turned out:

Turns out I can't judge space on a paper. He has no face, squatty fat legs, and also no feet, and maybe claw hands. Also, I gave up a bit toward the end. There were too many actual artists getting all up in that place.  Sketching's not really my forte. But I might go back and try something that ISN'T the human body. Not sure why I started with the trickiest thing.  I brought it home, and Chris said "Kam, she looks pretty good!" "Uh... it's a boy."  I should stick with photography.


So, THEATRE COLLECTION! You guys. I walk in and I see this:

My theatre friends should know what this is, but for those that don't, there's this show called War Horse. And it's amazing. I've never seen it, but I distinctly recall being blown away watching a bit of it at the Tonys, where it took home 5 awards. The main character of War Horse IS A HORSE. Obviously, it's illogical to bring a live horse onstage every night, so they went with a giant horse puppet. Seriously, go look it up on youtube. You'll be blown away by the puppetry, which is inspired by Japanese Bunraku. It takes 3 puppeteers to run this thing. I learned today that the character names of those puppeteers are Head, Heart, and Hind. I also learned today, from Aunt Jill, that this is playing in London. Chris will learn tomorrow that we are going to see it before we leave. 

The V&A also has a Shakespeare Collection, featuring really cool artifacts from various Shakespearean shows. They had the actual skull used by the very famous Sarah Bernhardt when she portrayed a controversial female Hamlet, given to her and inscribed by author Victor Hugo. Too cool.

But the coolest thing in the Shakespeare Collection was this:

This is the first collected edition of Shakespeare's plays (not including Pericles), and was published in 1623, seven years after his death. Without this, 18 of his plays would be entirely unknown including Twelfth Night, seen here. "If music be the food of Love, play on."

After leaving the V&A, I stopped by the Natural History Museum, to take a photo of the outside. I didn't grab any while we were there yesterday.

And I walked home through Hyde Park, which is just lovely.

Hey Luke! Remember when we saw this on GoogleEarth, and didn't know what it was? It's a memorial to Prince Albert after he passed away. Queen Victoria commissioned it. The Prince is portrayed seated in the center, surrounded on the 4 inner corners by manufactures, engineering, agriculture, and commerce. The frieze around the bottom features 169 individual composers, architects, poets, painters, and sculptors.  The sculptures on the 4 outer corners are Asia, Africa, America, and Europe. Photos of those below. 

The Albert Memorial is right across the street from this! The Royal Albert Hall. 

Everyone was walking their dogs in the park. I miss my Tando.

I can't get over the reflections. Also, it's so puddly here.

Swans in The Long Water. (That's the name of the western half of this lake, closest to Kensington Palace. The eastern half is named The Serpentine.)

And here's Kensington Palace, the official residence of William, Kate & Baby George! Also, Prince Harry, but no one remembers about him in The States.

Also, some of you might have seen this facebook post where my father-in-law challenged me to photograph 40 of the Blue Plaques throughout London's Boroughs.  I've seen a handful of them so far, but today I photographed my first one!

I present, Blue Plaque #1:

Alice Meynell, 1847-1922, Poet and Essayist, lived here. 

I confess, I didn't know who Alice Meynell was. But I looked her up. Turns out she was also a suffragist, and heaven knows I love me some women's rights! I researched some of her poetry, and here's her most renowned!

Renouncement I MUST not think of thee; and, tired yet strong,   I shun the love that lurks in all delight—   The love of thee—and in the blue heaven's height, And in the dearest passage of a song. Oh, just beyond the sweetest thoughts that throng             This breast, the thought of thee waits hidden yet bright;   But it must never, never come in sight; I must stop short of thee the whole day long. But when sleep comes to close each difficult day,   When night gives pause to the long watch I keep, And all my bonds I needs must loose apart, Must doff my will as raiment laid away,—   With the first dream that comes with the first sleep I run, I run, I am gather'd to thy heart.

I'll admit, it took a few readings to really grasp it, but it grows on you.

And with that, I bid goodnight. It's midnight-thirty here. So, 5:30pm in the States. Close enough to night, yeah?

Cheers!
Kami & Chris, the Pseudo-Londoners

UPDATE:
I just realized I barely wrote anything about Chris in this post. Rude! He worked all day today, so I was exploring by myself. But when we got home, we went to check out a new grocery store, Sainsbury's. Everything there was SO CHEAP! We bought like 20 different things, all under £2 each. It was awesome. And we spent the evening running around different shops to try to find a loofa sponge for Chris. Turns out London doesn't sell them! We asked a lady in this beauty/spa supply store and her response was "Oh, I haven't seen one of those for years!" I guess it's not in fashion? Weird.  We even checked a pharmacy and a department store, just in case. No dice. ;)