St Pancras Station
Took the fast train from Bordeaux to London changing trains in Paris. had to change train stations but very easy, a one shot, 30 minute subway ride to Gard de Nord. They even make it easier by selling you subway tickets in the club car on the train from Bordeaux.
Sent most of the ride typing up my thoughts about my time at Montaigne’s chateau. During the ride the girl next to me was reading Brothers Karamazov and the guy across from me was reading Descartes. Both of them in real books! What erudite traveling companions. The transfer to Gard de Nord went without a hitch but the boarding of the Eurostar was a mess. Exactly the same as last year. Long lines with little instruction as to where to go or when we would be let on. First a line to check our tickets. Then another to check our passports then another to pass our bags through security. It took well over ninety minutes to do all this and all for a 2-1/2 hour ride to London! Finally got through all the mess only to find myself backed up in another line as the train was not ready for passengers. It did leave on time and the rest of the ride was uneventful and I arrived in beautiful St. Pancras station. It was a short taxi ride to my room where I was greeted by Sheila and I climbed the three flights to my room. Weather in London was HOT and it turned out that I was the only one in Great Britian who was pleased. Everyone else was wilting in the heat which was in the high nineties but seemed much cooler because it was displayed in centigrade. It was only in the 30’s! I was a little pissed because I had been carrying clothes and a rain jacket for the last six weeks in preparation for cool rainy weather I expected for London.
I immediately booked dinner reservations at Ottolenghi’s restaurant for Monday night with Candy and Martin. And made arrangements to meet Candy at the Victoria and Albert Museum Monday afternoon. I left my room in Islington and had breakfast at Ottolenghi’s restaurant. Ordered the Shakshuka, a North African dish with eggs, peppers and tomatoes and served with labneh and grilled focaccia.
Shakshuka, a North African dish with eggs, peppers and tomatoes and served with labneh and grilled focaccia
I wiped the dish clean and just enjoyed a leisurely time. After I finished the newspapers I made my way to Trafalgar Square to while away the morning at the National Gallery. The usual mobs of tourists were swarming but it seemed even more crowded as there were barriers at intersections to channel and, I guess, protect pedestrians from terrorists. I was much more worried getting run down because I failed to look the right way. There was a cute sculpture up on the second plinth. Not great but definitely amusing.
The second plinth.
Went in to the National Gallery and enjoyed some of my old favorites trying to dodge the mobs.They had moved the Leonardo cartoon from its quiet darkened room to a wall next to the painting it was prepared for. Lost was the nice comfortable space to sit and appreciate it. It was still great and I was pleased to see it again. I didn’t spend near enough time as I was expected at the V and A at 2:00 to meet Cindy.
Spent some time looking around the V and A collection which is massive. Wall to wall, floor to ceiling objects. So much that I quickly tired of looking. I did go up to the 20th late century room which held a lot of design items very much like the Modern in NYC. Before I bailed out for good I found the Three Graces which, to me, looks plastic rather than realistic. 
I went out to the courtyard to get a coffee and people watch. A lot of moms with young children playing in the wading pool. Did get a look at two Japanese girls dressed in Victorian Steam Punk. You had to admire anyone in long sleeves in that weather!
Candy got hung up with work so didn’t arrive until almost closing. After a drink we made it to Ottolenghi’s right on time for our reservation. Dinner was just as good as the last time I was there a year ago and Candy was very impressed.
Tuesday
Gallery day. First stop was Sothby’s which had a show coinciding with their summer modern and contemporary auction. I saw it last year and this year was very good. 
I was particularly impressed with a Egon Schiele portrait and even viewed a tiny Giacometti drawing on newsprint for “only” $6500-9100. 
I stood there and contemplated what it would be like to have that hanging in my house. Fortunately I was able to resist the temptation and moved on to an excellent Wayne Thiebaud show that I had all to my lonesome except for the guard. Can’t say much for his subject matter but his color is ferocious and inventive. Loved a still life of two paint cans. 
His paint handling is masterful. Saw an excellent Picasso show at Gagosian and from there I headed to a Alice Neel show that was in the same gallery that displayed an excellent show of Yayoi Kusama- Sculptures last season. Here again I had the whole place to myself. I had to walk thru the super modern part of the city as I got off the subway and enjoyed the exuberance and risk taking of some of the architecture. 
I was particularly drawn to a building that was sharply angled with the windows going against the direction of the façade. 
After the exhibition I walked back to Islington and I enjoyed the transition back to quaintness.
Wednesday
Went to see the new wing of the Tate Modern which had opened on the day I left last year. The views from the observation 10th floor were fantastic and in addition to the breathtaking views of the city across the Thames gave me a chance to indulge my voyeurism and peer into the windows of the apartment building close to the museum.
Few shades were drawn and it seemed like the inhabitants of these abodes expected to be looked at and so had various tableaus of modern furniture arranged in all glass rooms. Lots of fun made even more so when you read the signes requesting that we on the observation deck respect the privacy of the neighbors. Nobody rented these flats with the expectation of privacy.
I particularly enjoyed the Giacometti retrospective although it was arranged very poorly with many of the sculptures on shelves that didn’t allow a the visitor to walk around the works. They did have quite a few paintings which was a treat for me and I even sat through a video that included watching him paint and sculpt with soft clay. The rest of the collection was hung poorly and badly lit except for the Rothko room which was transcendent.
I finally decided to take a cigarette break and as I walked out I was approached by a guy who was surveying patrons. He was delighted with my comments and assured me that my criticisms of the lighting and salon style hanging would be read by the curators. He also loved my suggestion that cameras be prohibited and visitors be provided with access to digital images of the collection with the hope that this might encourage people to engage with the art rather than photograph it. Who know if my ideas will influence anyone but he wrote everything down and assured me they would be taken seriously.
My friend Ann had invited me to join her at a play she was reviewing and introduced me to may of the theater critics of the other London papers. I felt very glamorous and enjoyed my evening with her and basked in her reflected importance in the scene. The play was entertaining but not great. I was about office politics in an American magazine and included a shooting that, for me, came out of the blue right before the intermission. It did scare the hell out of me. I enjoyed talking over the play with Ann after and even more excited when I read her review the next day.
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