"Sparkly Things" and Street Art

Our plan for the day was to get to the Tower of London just as it opened, thus beating the crowds (HA), spend several hours there and then head to Shoreditch in east London to meet up  with Pepe for the London Walks tour of street art.  

This was a capital plan but for the hoards of people here in London.  As we neared the Tower, we could see hundreds of people in the distance.  As we got closer to the entrance, we realized they were all standing on the ticket lines.  While Maddie and I were ready to call an audible, Dana was resolute.  We're here, this is our time to see the Tower, and see it we shall, so we pressed on.

Luckily a) it was a magnificent day, so while Dana stood in line we were able to watch ice skaters at the Tower's ice rink (such a peculiar juxtaposition, I think), and b) if any place can absorb crowds it's the freaking Tower of London.   On Christmas Day, Pepe had mentioned that some complain that the Tower has been "Disneyfied."  Having never been there before, I had nothing with which to compare it, but Dana was surprised by all of the changes.  While the changes (adding holographic images in some of the windows, many additional exhibits, entertaining men in walking the grounds in period costume) might or might not have been improvements, the most powerful aspect of visiting the Tower is by far simply standing inside the stone fortress and feeling the sense of history.  

Of course, I couldn't get enough of the juxtaposition of this structure dating back to 1060 (ish) and the construction continuing to go on all around it.

Since we had overslept (when Dana's phone, which is acting as our alarm, lost power in the middle of the night), we had skipped breakfast in order to "beat the crowds."  Therefore, we were quite happy to see that (in true Disney fashion) there is now a cafe in the heart of Tower Town ;) where we were able to gain some sustenance before getting on the incredibly long line to see the Crown Jewels.  

Maddie was convinced this little chocolate crown garnish was as close as she was getting to the real thing :)

We ate our lunch, and Maddie and I then took a post on line, while Dana and Daniel checked out some of the other exhibits. The line was tremendously long, but it moved steadily and the aformentioned entertaining street performers certainly made the time go by more pleasantly (thank you, again, Walt).

At one point, someone approached him to ask why everyone was standing in line, and he replied, "If you like to look at sparkly things, stand in this line."  Maddie and I looked at each other and groaned. Caring very little for sparkly things and eager to catch our street art tour on time, we were ready to bail, but Dana was, again, resolute.  WE WILL SEE THE CROWN JEWELS AND LEAVE IN TIME TO JOIN THE TOUR AT LIVERPOOL STREET, he declared.  You can imagine what a lovely wait the last thirty minutes or so on that line was ;)

Ironically, the only reason Maddie wanted to see them at all was that Moriarty, in one of her favorite Sherlock episodes, sits in the crown, after having bested the Tower security (we later learned that the interior scenes were actually shot at Cardiff Castle), so she was disappointed to learn that this was the last "legal" photo we could take.  She and Daniel, in the spirit of Moriarty, did get some clandestine selfies, which I hope  she will post for your enjoyment.

As we rushed out of the Tower and flagged down a cab, with only 10 minutes or so to spare to get across to our meeting place, we all agreed that while the Tower itself is spectacular, the wait to see a bunch of crowns behind glass... not so much.

Now it was time for 2013's London, so we were very happy to spot Pepe in his signature cap and get started on our 2 hour walk/lecture on street art.  What a wonderful lesson it was.

Apparently Bristol is considered ground zero for street artists, in large part because most experts think Banksy (who is still anonymous, despite the fact that one London newspaper claims to have identified him) grew up there.  London, of course, is the biggest city close to Bristol, so many street artists - from Paris, Rio, Pittsburgh, and, of course, the streets of cities and towns all over England, have come here to paint these streets.  I can't begin to share all of the fascinating stories here, but I will share some of my favorite images.

The R and J are for Romeo and Juliet, as the original Curtain Theater, where the play premiered - that's right PREMIERED! - is just around the corner from the Horse & Groom.

This image is created with a jack hammer, as the artist chips away at the surface to create his image.

"Invader" from Paris usually leaves very small images in his trademark pixilated style, but he did this larger one as an exception.

The "Adore and Endure" message is from an American street artist, but the more interesting part of the photo are the old tube cars on the roof; they have been turned into artist's loft work and live space.

One of my favorite corners - on an abandoned building, one artist created "beauty" (to go with the beast that is the abandoned building), while "Stick" (aptly named) cleverly created his trademark figure (six lines and two circles - for eyes) to interact with the building by seeming to pull the attached chain.

In a gallery owned by "Pure Evil," I particularly liked this image :)

Pepe was amused to point out that several years ago, he would have to pay us to go down an alley in Shoreditch, while now the exploding street art scene has made it a cultural center once again (much as it was in Shakespeare's day).  (By the way, he's not describing the Spock ;)  It's amazing how much "grafitti"/street art does not warrant mention by Pepe.

The "Toaster Crew" leave their tag wherever they leave their art.

This building has been the heart of controversy, as a company intended to purchase it for the Banksy paintings on the back of it (which are now "protected" with huge wood planks), while local citizens want it to remain a multipurpose building.

The two Banksy portraits that are still accessible in this area.  They are in a private courtyard of a club which has kept them safe.  One of his most famous images was painted over within 3 days!!

After Pepe said goodbye, we headed to the Shoreditch market, which he told us at the start of the tour was one of his favorites (though he admitted his bias, having grown up here).  Indeed, we found it delightful.  We enjoyed an hour walking around there before catching a cab to the "authentic curry house" Pepe had also recommended, where we finally got the Indian food we have all been craving.  It was wonderful.

Today we are off to Liverpool to explore another great city in England.  Since "here comes the sun," I better wrap up this post and get out of here!