Touring and the Tate Modern

Once again we didn't get an early start...hmmm....I sense a trend here....but everything worked out for the best.

We were all proud of ourselves when we managed to arrive at our destination this morning despite all of the Tube closures and being rerouted on a different bus. We are become very savvy of the Underground and the buses around here! We were even brave enough to try a new route yesterday! (Still haven't found a grocery store...that will be tomorrow's adventure!)

Anyway, we had decided to do a bike tour today. I had ambitiously figured we could rent the bikes for an hour and bike around Buckingham Palace, Hyde Park, etc. Luckily for everyone else, we did not need to rely on my touring skills because the bike rental place had a 3.5 hr tour of those areas and more which was departing within 5 minutes of our arrival...it was meant to be! Because we ended up being the only people in the group, Gunter was very good about stopping when we wanted to and catering to our needs. We saw more of the South Bank but today we got our first glimpse of Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, Hyde Park, St. James Park, Royal Albert Hall and so much more. We had a leisurely tour of central London with the inside scoop on all the different things we were seeing. Unexpected highlights included the open air Lily Allen concert in Hyde Park and being caught in the Gay Pride Parade at Trafalgar Square..two things we never would have experienced if we hadn't chosen the bike tour!

We did a whirlwind tour of Tate Modern after. The most common question..."But is it art?!" Some of it was interesting but most of it left me scratching my head.

We enjoyed a hearty dinner at an Irish pub (O'Neill's) when we found ourselves in the financial district where pretty much everything is closed on the weekends. Eric figures he just started his Irish pub comparison shopping earlier than he had planned. Still no beer tasting for him though!

There is so much to see and do but as always, it is something simple that I have found to be the most profound experience yet. The Street Pianos Project has put 15 second hand pianos all over the city for June & July. It is a work by artist Luke Jerram, Play me, I'm yours and it encourages connections through street music. Basically, these pianos are just sitting out and people sit down to tickle the ivories. We've seen small children banging away, heard several renditions of Heart and Soul or Chopsticks, but tonight was fascinating. We had to wait 30+ minutes for our evening tour to start at the Royal Exchange. A man ambled by and sat down at the piano to play. For about 15 minutes he hammered out rollicking tunes. It was mesmerizing. When he finally got up to stretch his fingers, another man, a stranger to him, approached him and asked if he'd like to jam. So they did! It was a sight to see and hear! The talent just comes out of the woodwork! (If you're interested, you can check out the artist's website. http://www.streetpianos.com/london2009/)

I'll let Jacqueline tell about our evening tour because that was really her thing. I will say I was fascinated to tour all the little alleyways and back areas of the City.