So here I am, packing again for my next part of this adventure. Tomorrow I will head to Oxford, where the main event, my summer classes, will begin. I am so excited! But I will reflect on my last few days in London (I have gotten to know it so well in my short time). The art museums have by far been the most moving experience for me here. Seeing original works by artists that I've admired since I was old enough to walk to the my local library and look at art books was a powerful experience for me. I saw Titian's Bacchus and Ariadne (one of my all-time favorite paintings), original works by Meredith Frampton, Matisse, Cezanne, Degas, Van Gogh, Monet, William Eggleston, Picasso, Manet, da Vinci (the list could go on forever). 

Then I went to some more obscure neighborhoods just to see the real London and get away from tourists. I always try to do that when I visit a new city. It gave me some peace of mind to see normal Londoners just going about their days, sitting on benches and smoking, walking their dogs, chatting on the corners, and a lot less crying children. I made my way to Southwark market (where I ate the best Arabian food I've ever had) and also to Covent Garden today, where I saw lots of street performers and the hustle and bustle of the shopping district. 

When everyone was telling me my time here would be life-changing, I thought that was a little dramatic, but now I see they were right. If you can come to London and really take full advantage of what it has to offer, see the people, the streets, the architecture, the museums, and do it all on your own, it really gives you a feeling that you are a person of the world, and that is something I have never felt until now. I can't be grateful enough to the people who made this possible. 

Southwark Cathedral

Above and below: Bread and Arabian food from Southwark Market

At the Tate Museum!

The lawn outside the Tate

Picasso

Above: Portrait of a Young Woman (1935) by Meredith Frampton

Below: Marguerite Kelsey (1928) by Meredith Frampton

Matisse

Picasso, description below

A piece by Lee Krasner (Jackson Pollock's wife). She painted this after he died in a car crash in 1954 as a symbol of her grief

Visual representation of John cage's music (there were four other panels)

The iconic British telephone booth displayed at the Design Museum. It's design was presented in the 1930's and has stuck around since.

First designs of the electric iron (designed in America) at the Design Museum

The Design Museum

Above: sculpture outside the Design Museum

Below: Tower Bridge and skyline from wharf near the Design Museum