this song is about europe and painting (maybe?) so it compliments my post nicely.
wow, i can’t believe i’m almost done writing about my trip, and it’s only taken three weeks! after this post, i guess i’ll go back to my usual material, i.e. v. v. serious and highly-charged matters.
MONDAY
i had two requirements for london: one was wagamama, which we had already v. efficientaly accomplished, and the other was THE TATE MODERN, my most favorite favoritist art space in the entire known universe. ok, well, tied with marfa.
as we made our way to the tate, we visited amber’s future school. so now i can picture her there… and hey! you can too!
although now i can only picture her in front of the door, which isn’t probably where she will be most of the time.
not only is amber v. smart, but she’s also a great friend, i.e. she’s willing to pose for supremely touristy pictures that i want to take.
for example, the classic “hi! i’m in a london phonebooth! hi!” photo:
how can you go to london and NOT take that picture?! i mean, i’m sure that when josh & kc return from london, THEY TOO will have a phonebooth photo.
london makes me feel classy, even as a tourist.
as we continued our walk to the tate, i made a new friend!
this little ladybug pants was apparently in need of a major modern art fix, so she climbed aboard the sarah express! i tried to turn my back towards the paintings every so often so she could get a good glimpse.
as we walked into the tate modern, i felt a ball of excitement building in my stomach, like when you’re waiting for the schlitterbahn gates to open, but EVEN BIGGER. i’d been waiting five years to return, and it was finally happening!
I WAS HERE!
i wanted to lie down and kiss the smooth concrete floor, but not really, cos i’m a huge germphobe.
it was so fun to see some of the same pieces again, like old friends. and also
DUDE I JUST SAW THE REAL THING!!!!!!!!!!!
i think i was more of a hyper hypo than the bajillions of schoolchildren that were running around and studying art. actually, that’s one of the things i lurve about the tate– it’s not an old, quiet, musty place. it generates creativity and learning and life through tons of education programs and tours. when you’re there, you feel like you’re a part of something that is living and breathing and growing.
for example, i adore this picture of four v. studious young ladies:
since the tate invites learning, i was surprised to learn that they don’t allow photography, even without a flash.
so i made my own art by breaking the rules! yeah!
everything about the tate modern makes me more excited about the history and the posibilities of art. for example, here’s the entrance to one of the exhibits:
i need to start writing random artists’ names on the walls of my apartment. really.
and of course, it wouldn’t be a good visit without a little flava flavin!
(still not as good as the flavin rooms in marfa, though. sorry tate).
amber and i both flipped out over one of the newest pieces, a cray cray colorful mobile!!!!
that’s one of my favorite pictures from the trip… it looks like the room is full of dancing colored spots! i wanted to dance through them, but for some reason the tate doesn’t allow experiential learning like that. i felt v. artistically repressed.
after i almost exploded from the art intake, we decided to meet up with becky at harrod’s, since neither amber nor i had been there before.
on our way over, i once again appreciated the v. v. helpful signs on the streets:
sure, looking at these signs made me feel completely inadequate, but HELLO, it’s HARD to figure out where the heck the cars are coming from.� i kept wondering if someone like david shrigley would ever come through and change them so people would get smacked by cars (it does look like his handwriting, you know).
ok, so, harrod’s. in case you don’t know, harrod’s is this big famous ritzy department store in london where they sell everything from jimmy choo shoes to tiny fancy cakes.
also, harrod’s is weird. i mean, super weird.
first, they have a place called the “egyptian room,” which is basically just escalators and egyptian decorations. i have no idea why. but here it is.
second, the dude who owns harrods was the father of dodi fayed, who was engaged to and died with princess diana back in 1997. in the basement of the store, there’s a memorial to the couple… and holy hell, it gave me the frickin’ heebie jeebies!
that black pyramid thing contains a wine glass the couple drank from during their last night in paris (gross!) and diana’s engagement ring.
seriously, guys. what is the deal.
(and thanks to lizzie for alerting me to this piece of cray. actually, i’m not sure sure i’m thankful)
ok, so the only part of harrod’s i liked was, of course, the candy section of the food halls, even though it, too, was totally bizarre. for example, in one corner, there is a laduree tea room, which is FABULOUS cos it’s the only one outside of paris (so of course, i had to buy some cookies). and what’s right next door to this posh, uber chic, ultra expensive tea room?
that’s right, a krispy kreme donuts.
amber TOTALLY FREAKED when she saw it, and promptly bought two donuts.
meanwhile, i felt like a kid in wonka’s factory, cos WHOAH! LOOK AT THIS SANDWICH! IT’S ENTIRELY MADE OF MARSHMELLOW!!!!!!!
i think i believe in fairies again.
we finally left harrod’s and then caught our train to manchester (due to the fact that i am cheap, i flew in and out of manchester, and due to the fact that amber is an awesome friend, she came to manchester with me). after some delays, we finally arrived in manchester around 9:00 (i think?), only to discover that the neighborhood around our hotel was, as the british say, DODGEY.
while on the train, i pictured our last night full of fish & chips, beer and funny pub people. well, there were definitely funny people… on the STREETS. gah. amber and i walked quickly to the only place that looked open and found ourselves in some sort of ugly, chain-type place. but whatever. at least we got fish & chips!
hrrrm. yeah.
of course, we made the best of it, as we always do (although amber avoided her peas). as we discussed our travel plans for the next morning, i realized with surprise that i felt ready to return home to austin. paris and london and, most especially, time with my dear friend, had been amazing, and the stories and moments and wonders filled my being. the fact that i love my “normal” life, and then still get to galavant across the globe with a kindred spirit, makes me a pretty lucky pants.
plus, when i saw the british version of “tex-mex” on the menu, i couldn’t wait to get back to the real thing.
garlic bread?
oh texas, it’s good to be home.
p.s. the next morning, at the manchester airport, i finally bought the new cadbury creme-filled chocolate bar– like the eggs, but in bar form!!!!! it’s like cadbury INTERCEPTED MY DREAMS. lizzie had alerted me to their existence, and now i had one FOR MY VERY OWN!!!!!� so, i’d been saving it for a specical occasion… and then kc sends me this article. thanks a lot, RAINER ON MY PARADE. gah.
i’m still gonna eat it, though. salmonella can suck it.
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