London Walk #6: Soho to Trafalgar Square. Also..Courtauld Gallery

Today, after church, we decided we’d better do another London walk as due dates are approaching. Macy, Sam, Taylor, and I walked through Soho to Trafalgar Square. I actually loved this walk. I wished it wasn’t Sunday, because we passed dozens of adorable vintage shop and other cute clothing stores, and lots of yummy looking restaurants and gelato shops. Maybe it was a good thing it was Sunday…

There weren’t really any beautiful nature sights, but it was fun to see such a busy area of the city. And of course, since I love the buildings here, I can always appreciate the architecture I see. This mural is 5 stories high and was painted in 1980, depicting characters and scenes of the local Fitzrovia community.

This is the French Protestant Church near Soho Square, that has been around since before the 1550s. Soho Square used to be royal hunting grounds and “soho” was a hunting call, which is why it is now called Soho.

Isn't this teeny tiny car so cute? It was parked outside of Soho Square.

I enjoyed today’s walk very much and I plan on returning, when it isn’t Sunday, and my wallet is full…Just kidding mom! Maybe just a cute vintage dress and that’s all!

Last Note: I teach a Sunday school class to 6 girls from age 15 to 17. There is Amowa, Antoinette, Josephine, Jesintha, Fredriesha, and Shaneise. And Audrey, Shaneise’s two year old daughter. She joins us for class too and she is adorable! (That is definitely not how you spell their names. But that's how you say them at least.) After the lesson, I asked them what their favorite place to shop was, and Antoinette said H & M. And I said, “Oh I just bought pants from there!” And they all laughed at me and said, “You mean TROUSERS! Pants are underwear, here. Say Trousers!” How embarrassing. Then I told them about Trevor (my precious 4-year-old nephew) and his old obsession with the word “panties” and how he used it as an adjective for every word and even used to call me “Panties Lindsey” instead of Auntie Lindsey.

Also I think I should mention that I think a man fell in love with me on Monday at the Courtauld Gallery, a small art museum with mostly French Impressionism, but many other things too. Van Gough’s self portrait is here and they have a lot of Monet too. Anyway, his name is Daryl and he is probably at least 90 years old. I was sketching a my favorite painting, a gorgeous seascape called “Antibes,” by Claude Monet for my art class and he just started talking to me. He told me about how when he looks at this painting, “and you may think I’m strange for this,” he said, but he feels the breeze and can smell the salt in the air when he looks at this painting. And then he wouldn’t stop talking to me! The good part is this: He asked, “And where do you come from? You’re obviously British.” He thought I WAS BRITISH! What a complement. I didn’t stick out like a sore thumb as an American! Everyone told me that Brits just know when you are American. How? Why? They just do. I guess I shouldn’t be too flattered. He was a bit senile. But anyway, he continued to tell me about his American friend that he met in the war, and how they went to school together in France after the war, and then he told me about more paintings. Then he wanted to show me some of them upstairs. So we shuffled to the elevator, him with his cane, and me hoping he could make it. The poor guy is going blind. He goes to Courtauld every Monday because it is free admission on Mondays. One painting he showed me was “La Ciotat,” by Othon Friesz, which is an abstract landscape. Daryl thinks it’s hilarious because CLEARLY the artist is having a joke with the viewer because the hills really look like a lady with “ginger hair” laying on her side. It made me think of that lady Dad always showed us in the hills on the way to Grandma’s house. I always secretly laughed when Dad would say, “And there are here breasts.” Ha ha immature little kid I was. So Daryl took up all my time that I should have been sketching. He kept saying, “I really must go have my lunch now, but wait, let me tell you one more story.” I bet he said that at least 5 times. But I really enjoyed talking to the guy. He was very nice and very smart and you could tell the poor man just really wanted someone to talk to about his passion for art.

“La Ciotat,” by Othon Friesz. Can you see the ginger-haired lady?

Me and Van, no big deal

Outside the Courtauld. Me and my favorite, a piggy. Or me and me. However you want to look at it.

We also went to the Globe to see the Shakespeare play, "As You Like It," and it was wonderful. Our professors got us seats, but they were basically behind the stage, so my friend Sam and I stood in the front, like peasants. For the second half, my professor's kids joined us, and they said it was so much better. It was a lot of fun, and I can't imagine having to listen to the play without seeing all the hilarious facial expressions and subtle jokes and gestures. We had a blast. We stood for a long time, yes, but nothing really compares to the 8 hours we stood to see the Royal Wedding. We weren't complaining. We had a blast. The next day, we went back with our class to have a tour of the globe. Our guide took us inside to watch a few minutes of the dress rehearsal of the next play they are showing, “Much Ado About Nothing.” We loved what little of the play we saw AND the guy who played Geoffrey the Butler from Fresh Prince of Bel-Air was an actor in it! There he was, right before our very eyes, acting and dancing, dressed in Shakespearean clothes! So obviously, we bought tickets to see the play next Monday. Only 5 pounds to stand. Wonderful deal.

Tomorrow we leave for Lincoln, York, the Lake District, and Edinburgh, Scotland. I am so excited! Hiking, castle ruins, medieval towns, and more coming up! Not excited for having breakfast at 6 am and embarking on a 9 hour bus ride….But so excited for the trip in general! So warning, I’ll probably be MIA from the internet for a few days.