It started 2 weekends ago when I hung out in Trafalgar Square, an active plaza home to Nelson's Column and loads of camera-snapping foreigners (myself included). I enjoyed many street performances, including a man who fit his whole body through a small tennis racquet (an unexplainable feat that was simultaneously impressive and unpleasant to the eye), and then escaped the imminent rains by going inside the National Gallery, which sits atop the square.
The NG (established in 1824 and the 4th most visited art museum in the world) holds an extraordinary collection of works and while it is not as exciting to me as the British Museum (others may disagree), in two hours I merely scratched the surface of the museum at which point my eyes and legs told me to return another day. However, it was enough time for me to find a favorite room which turned out to be Room 38, which holds several charming, massive paintings depicting the grandeur of Venice by 18th Century Venetian painters Canaletto and his successor Guardi.
Monday the 16th and the following Tuesday were filled with work, which will be more exciting to talk about once the Olympics commence later this week.
By then my mom (who grew up here) had arrived and I got the chance to journey into town with her, an activity that rekindled fond family memories of years past across Londontown.
On Wednesday morning we went to the local Five Bells Pub, which I mention only because my burger was huge (even for American standards) and it's home to a more menacing Man vs. Food-style eating challenge that has caught the interest of my cousins and me (a probable future post). After, my mom and I went up and down the busy thoroughfares of Tottenham Court Road and Oxford Street, the latter being Europe's busiest shopping street, and then to the British Museum, which made it my second visit this trip and surprisingly my mom's first ever.
The BM was established in 1753 and is the 3rd most visited art museum in the world, behind the Louvre in Paris and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The BM's collection is far too big to even attempt seeing in one go (and they only have around 1% of their total collection on display) so my first visit was concentrated on the Chinese, Korean, and South Asian exhibits while the second focused on Ancient Egypt (mom's choice) and Ancient Greece, which contained personal highlights of viewing beautifully sculpted pieces of the Parthenon and Mausoleum of Halikarnassos (one of the 7 Ancient Wonders of the World).
After the BM, we met with my aunt and cousin by Leicester Square for a Chinatown dinner (A Johnson family London tradition) and made a short trip to the West End (the worlds most expensive location to rent office space) to Aldwych Theater where we watched a musical called Top Hat, an experience that I thoroughly enjoyed and would love to do, funds permitting, sometime again.
A busy and productive Wednesday led to a relaxing Thursday and then to a family Friday. On this day, my mom and I ventured to an Azerbaijani restaurant (Yes Azerbaijan is a real country) down the road that had caught my eye earlier in the week. The reason I noticed it was because I had no idea what constituted Azerbaijani cuisine and was intrigued to learn more about it and the country itself. I ordered a seemingly traditional lamb and aubergine stew ("Khoresht Bademjan") cooked in a tomato sauce topped with rice and a chili mix that I couldn't get enough of while my mom had a nice kebab/rice dish that I eagerly sampled. After, we tested out a traditional Azerbaijani ice cream, a delicious dessert made with rose water, saffron, and pistachio nuts. I was very happy with the meal and with learning that I liked the restaurant itself (unlike another adventurous yet rough Ethiopian encounter with my dad in Washington DC last year that had to be followed with a chili-cheese dog but taught us just as much) and attributed it to London's great diversity (which is not an old wooden ship used in the Civil War era...movie reference!) and ethnic culture...If you find another Azerbaijani restaurant anywhere in the Western Hemisphere, you've done well.
I also came out with some random fun facts that no one likely knows such as: Azerbaijan's climate is unique in that it contains 9 of Earth's 11 climatic zones. Want another? Azerbaijan is home to more than 400 mud volcanoes, more than half of the world's total. After the fact-finding Azerbaijani experience, Friday finished with a family dinner featuring a wonderfully concocted curry that led to an interesting Saturday.
Saturday the 21st constituted a different theme and at the centerpiece was Fosters ("Australian for Beer"), a UK equivalent of certain cheap state-side brews that aren't as tasty as their counterparts but hey you save money so it's ok. This "pregame" led to a pricy cocktail bar near Piccadilly Circus (where the famous neon signs are located) and then to a more moderately priced bar/club closer to Leicester Square that is home to a $90 wallet-shattering Giant Martini that my already weakened body didn't have the pleasure of sampling on this occasion. After making it home with music still deafening my ears, I got a 3 hour "sleep" in and awoke early Sunday morning to see my mom off at Heathrow Airport, which included a solid English breakfast (I was surprised I ate anything) and a tough goodbye that capped a perfect birthday week.
The London weather has finally produced the summer goods for parts of this week (70's and Sunny) so I, along with everyone here, am hoping it can stick for the Opening Ceremony later this week...stay tuned!
Looking up to the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square
View from Trafalgar Square towards Big Ben in the distance
Covent Garden Market/Piazza right outside my workplace (Note: An entertaining street performer to the middle right who's missing some clothes)
One of the many massive Five Bells Burgers. You have to see it in person to really give it justice.
Inside the British Museum in the Queen Elizabeth II Great Court, the largest covered square in Europe built in 2000.
Outside the Azerbaijani experience in North London.
Aerial view of the major intersection that is Piccadilly Circus.
Early morning wake up call at Heathrow after the bender...I was alive enough to snap a pic of my private jet.
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