Lingering in London

No, we did not leave London on Monday of this week. We learned on Sunday that an International Certificate of Competency (ICC) or equivalent--which we do not have--is needed to navigate on the inland waterways in continental Europe. Also, Peter had a couple more projects, such as cleaning and lubricating the winches, that he wanted to complete.

The ICC is the only sailing license approved by the United Nations as a legitimate recreational sailing license; however, the U.S. did not sign on to the agreement, so we can not obtain it there. Instead, the U.S. issues an International Certificate of Proficiency (ICP). Peter has now applied for that. (I am also proficient but may not have completed required coursework.) We have gathered conflicting information about whether the authorities actually ask for any certification. Bureaucracy!

Meanwhile, I have taken the opportunity to spend a bit more time visiting places in London. On Tuesday, May 15, I set off for Hyde Park. I took the tube to Paddington Station and walked south from there. On my way to the park, I discovered a sculptural installation in Norfolk Square. There is a small white and blue painted figure of Paddington Bear and the four bronze Paparazzi Dogs, which have appeared from New York to Shanghai. Created by artists Gillie and Marc Schattner, these dogs--Jeremy, Benjamin, Jacob and Timothy--are dressed in suits, posed with professional cameras aimed at Paddington Bear. It is a delightful work of public art.

Paparazzi Dogs and Paddington Bear

Paparazzi Dogs

My next stop was the Serpentine Gallery North in Hyde Park, where I went to see the new David Hockney exhibit. Hockney, now 88 years old, has been a world-renowned British artist since the mid-20th century. In addition to his work in other media, he is famous for pioneering digital paintings using an iPad or iPhone. 

The frieze in the gallery, A Year in Normadie, is against black walls along three sides of the square building. Walking along the u-shaped path of the frieze, one first encounters a late winter landscape and then continues to observed the changing seasons along the way, ending with the first light snow of winter. The colors are vibrant and saturated, in some cases unnatural and more intense than reality, yet they somehow perfectly capture the essence of the natural scenes. 

In the spirit of the Impressionists, Hockney painted the shifting colors of trees, skies and fields, not with canvas and paint but with an iPad. He began working with digital media as an art form in 1985, and since 2018 has used custom-made digital brushes to work swiftly, allowing the immediacy of his observations to be preserved, freed from the constraints of slow-drying pain. Monet, perhaps the most well-known Impressionist, complained that, even though he worked diligently on scenes such as the haystacks, the sun set so fast that he could not keep up with the light, which was frustrating since he wanted his works to exhibit spontaneity. 

Hockney stated that A Year in Normandie was not only inspired by Impressionism by the Bayeux Tapestry, a nearly seven meter long embroidery narrating the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. This is a work which has fascinated Hockney since he first saw it as a young child. Its narrative format and depiction of time unfolding influenced the artist's own panoramic frieze. Additionally, Hockney drew on his appreciation of the artistry of Chinese scroll painting from the fourteenth century, particularly the lack of shadows and reflections and the evocation of the experience of walking through a landscape. 

Over the course of a year on or near his property in Normandy, often from the cab of a pick-up truck, Hockney created 220 iPad paintings, later selecting 130 of them to form the frieze. A Year in Normandie functions as a portrait of 2020, when many people were isolated because of the pandemic, slowing the pace of life and heightening awareness of time's passage through the changing season.

Autumn in Normandy

Spring in Normandy

Harvest time in Normandy

Autumn turns to winter

I loved the frieze so much, that I made three circuits. Also exhibited in the gallery are five portraits and five still lifes, all united by the recurring motif of a checkered tablecloth rendered in reverse perspective. After immersing myself in the frieze, I enjoyed viewing the paintings, which are superb examples of color play and alternative vantage points, but they are not what I will remember.

After the North Gallery, I crossed the Serpentine, watching swans the color of bleached white sheets drift along, and arrived at the Serpentine Gallery South where works by Cecily Brown were on exhibit. Known for her vigorous brushwork, vivid colors and dynamic compositions, Brown experiments with scale and recurring motifs. The works in the gallery portrayed in a semi-abstract way amorous couples, woodland scenes and nature walks, many of them inspired by the Serpentine and Kensington Gardens. Her works are the type that reveal more layers and more connections the longer one looks at them.

Swan on the Serpentine

Works by Cecily Brown

More works by Cecily Brown

After the galleries, I walked along Exhibition Road to South Kensington and a post office there in order to mail our California election ballots. Our neighbor and house-watcher Kim had forwarded the mail-in ballots to us. We all feel it is a duty to vote and feel fortunate that mail-in ballots, which are being challenged in the U.S. as a legitimate way to vote, are available as we are often not at home on election days. 

On the way to my next destination, Chelsea Physic Garden, I walked past yet another splendid and open church, St. Luke's and Christ Church in the parish of Chelsea. Always I am pleased and impressed by the sheer number of churches in London as well as the fact that almost all of them are open to the public. For me, they are wonderful examples of splendid and varied architecture and design, both outside and inside. St. Luke's, designed in 1819 in imitation of Gothic churches of the 14th and 15th centuries, is one of the earliest examples of Gothic Revival churches in London. With its flying buttresses and pointed arches, it leads the eye toward the heavens. 

East window of St. Luke's

Organ and interior, St. Luke's

Garden by St. Luke's

The gardens outside, which have various colors of roses blooming as well as other flowers, provides a quiet green space for contemplation and relaxation.

My last stop for the day was the Chelsea Physic Garden, which was established as the Apothecaries' Garden in London in 1673 to grow plants that could be used as medicines. It is one of the oldest botanical gardens in Britain. Now a four-acre refuge from city life, it provides a place for people to learn about plants and connect with nature. The 5,000-plant collection focuses on medicinal, herbal and useful plants. It is surrounded by high brick walls which trap heat, creating a warm micro-climate.

Chelsea Physic Garden

Common corn-flag (Gladiolus communis) and Solomon's seal (Polygonaturm multiflorum)

Pitcher plant (Nepenthes ventricosa x robcantleyi)

Salvia section of the garden

Amorphophallus lacourii

Tree aeonium (Aeonium arboreum)

Geranium greenhouse

Buff-tailed bumblebee on woody hedge nettle

Statue to Sir Hans Sloane

In 1713, the land was purchased by Sir Hans Sloane, a physician, naturalist and collector. (His 71,000 items were bequeathed to the nation and provided the foundation for the British Museum, the British Library and the Natural History Museum.) He leased it to the Society of Apothecaries for 5 pounds a year in perpetuity with the stipulation that the garden supply the Royal Society with 50 herbarium samples per year, up to a total of 2,000 plants. Now run by a charity, it opened to the public in 1987. In addition to the outdoor areas, there are several restored Victorian era greenhouses constructed of iron, glass and Burmese teak. Various collections are housed there, including succulents, ferns, and Atlantic Island plants. Throughout the garden, I found several plants that I had not observed before.

That evening, our friends from S/V Lema, Diane and Jeremie, who having been living at St. Katherine Docks for a couple years on the their boat, visited us for a soup and salad dinner. It was pleasant to get to know them better. As usual when gathering with other yachties, stories of the challenges of maintaining a boat were exchanged with much head-nodding and comparisons.

On Wednesday, May 20, Peter continued to toil on projects, and I stayed aboard most of the day to provide moral support if not actual labor. In the afternoon, I took a walk from the docks to Leadenhall Market, one of the oldest markets in London, dating from the 14th century. The ornate metal and glass roof structure is painted in green, maroon, and cream and soars above two stories of the market place. The building, including the cobbled floors were designed in 1881 by Sir Horace Jones. It has been a feature in many films, perhaps most notably in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (or Philosopher's Stone in the U.K.) as the site of Diagon Alley. 

Dragon guarding the boundary of the City of London near Leadenhall Market

Leadenhall Market

The last full day in London, yesterday, Thursday, May 21, I needed to make the most of the extra time provided by our delayed departure. Having already unsuccessfully visited bookstores in South Kensington and in Leadenhall Market looking for a hard copy of the next meeting for my family's monthly book club since I am number 30 on the hold list on Libby for a digital copy. I went to my new favorite bookstore, Hatchard's near Piccadilly Circus, but they did not have the book The Things We Do for Love by Kristin Hannah. They suggested Waterstone's just down the street, which is a bigger store. I approached an employee there, who searched on the computer. He was able to tell me that my search was in vain as the novel has not yet been published in the UK. No loss, however. I always enjoy browsing in bookstores.

As I had plenty of time, I decided to walk to San Pancras New Church on Euston Road for a lunchtime piano concert. I always prefer to walk in London (or most cities) despite its excellent transportation system because I will undoubtedly encounter unexpected delights (such as the Paparazzi Dogs) on the way. This time, I was stopped in my tracks, by a visually stunning digital media shows in different places by Tottenham Court Road Station.  Outernet London, as it is called, is in the Now Building, featuring 23,000 square feet for projection, the largest digital exhibition space in Europe. I stood awestruck by two ever-changing media shows (with advertising in between 😞) before moving on to a nearby smaller venue for a few minutes. 

Outernet London

Outernet London

Outernet London

Outernet London

I realized that I was then running late for the concert, so I walked quickly through Bloomsbury, past the British Museum and through Russell Square, to reach the church, rushing to a pew near the front just as the pianist, an extremely talented young man named Billy Zhu, sat down to play. His program included Bach's toccata in C Minor, variations on Beethoven's Eroica, Scriabin's Fantasie in B Minor and the Isolde's Liebestod by Wagner as transcribed by Franz Liszt for solo piano. It was a truly phenomenal last concert for me in London this season.

Interior, St. Pancras

After the concert, I took time to enjoy architecture and parks in London on a very warm afternoon. There is a small garden along the south side of San Pancras Church in which a small, ornamental (non-functioning) drinking fountain from from the late 19th century can be found. Previously, it was in St. James Garden near Euston Station, which was demolished highway construction. I was surprised to find a row of four caryatids supporting entablatures on a porch on the southeast side of the church. Perhaps I would not have been if I had known at the time that the church, built in 1819-22, is a Greek Revival building designed by William and Henry William Inwood.

Caryatids on the exterior of San Pancras

I stopped in Tavistock Square on my way to the British Museum. A place I had not visited before (there are so, so many in London!), it is known for its peace garden theme. In the center of the square is a statue of Mahatma Gandhi, who lived in London for three years, training in the law at the Inner Temple along the Thames and often studying at the library in the British Museum, before returning to India after being called to the bar. 

Statue of Mahatama Ghandi

The area around Tavistock Square is full of literary history. On the southwest corner of the park is a bust of Virginia Woolf, the famous novelists and one of the founding members of the Bloomsbury Group. She and her husband Leonard Woolf, writer and publisher, lived for a time by Tavistock Square. On the east side of the square was Tavistock House, which was the home to Charles Dickens and his family from 1851 to 1860. It was in this house that he wrote Bleak House, Hard Times, Little Dorrit and A Tale of Two Cities.

Bust of Virginia Woolf

From the square, I walked the few blocks to the British Museum, which was established in 1753 as the world's first public national museum. The collections of objects, so many of which came to England as a result of imperialism, conquest and plundering as well as the acquisitive adventures of the wealthy, well-educated British upper classes particularly in the Victorian Era. is truly overwhelming. It is difficult to ignore this while still appreciating the way in which the collection provides cultural insights into the major world civilizations and their art and cultures. Every time I visit the British Museum and the National Gallery, I remember the head of the humanities department at my college, who taught courses on ancient civilizations and art history. Henry Wolf opened up the world to me, a girl from a small town in West Virginia. I do not think I had ever in my young life encountered anyone as knowledgeable and inspiring in terms of culture, someone who had actually spent time touring Europe visiting all the great sites and museums. (He was also an accomplished pianist who helped me learn about and appreciate classical music.) My first backpacking trip to Europe, a three-month adventure, was entirely inspired by Dr. Wolf. 

The British Museum entrance on Great Russell Street

Courtyard inside the British Museum

Etruscan and Greek pottery

The Reading Room at the British Museum

Since it was a warm day outside, it was actually hot and stuffy in the large galleries of the museum, and the small floor fans did little to circulate the air. Still, I lingered for a couple hours. I particularly wanted to see the Lewis Chessmen since we had been to the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides last year and visited a museum in Stornoway which showcased 6 of the 82 pieces owned by the British Museum which are permanently on loan. The 93 gaming pieces, probably from Norway, are from a large hoard from at least 4 chess sets and were discovered in the early 19th century on the west side of Lewis. 

Three Lewis Chessmen

These chessmen highlight the problematic situation regarding who should own cultural artifacts. When items are held and exhibited by large institutions in major cities of the world, it provides a chance for so many people to learn about human history by seeing the objects in person. Millions of people have visited the world's most important museums and therefore have had an opportunity to profit from the curated collections. Without these museums, particularly before the instant access of information in the digital world, their views of the world would be missed. For me, visiting a major cultural or art museum is like walking through history. And although I have traveled extensively in my adult life, but there is much of the world that is personally unknown to me. Most of what I know about the Middle East and Asia is second-hand, through museums or media, for example. 

In the case of the Lewis Chessmen, they were offered for sale by those who had discovered or obtained them on Lewis. More troubling are objects, sometimes whole buildings, that have been removed from their original places due to conquest or war. Do museums have the right to them? Obviously, the case for repatriation is strong, and the dilemma is not going to be solved in this blog post. 

After re-acquainting myself with some of the British Museum's most significant objects and finding some new things, I left and returned to Mantra, where I found people happily taking apart, cleaning and lubricating a sixth winch. Honestly, he loves to spend his time doing this type of work!

Peter having a fabulous time with winches

Winch parts

I briefly joined his in working on the boat, cleaning hatches and the deck aft of the mast. At 6 p.m., we hastily got into presentable clothes and hastened to the tube station to travel to Hammersmith, where Matthew lives, to have a last dinner with him. After walking through part of Ravencourt Park, we went to an Algerian restaurant, Azou, near his apartment, where the ambiance, food and service were all excellent. The owner was very gracious, chatting with us in a humorous manner from time to time but never being intrusive. 

Mantra at St. Katherine Docks (last mast on right)

Back at the boat, we finished up a few chores and went to bed around 11 p.m., anticipating getting up shortly after 6 a.m. this morning (Friday, May 22) to set off from St. Katherine Docks. All went smoothly. Russell on the neighboring boat helped us cast off at 7 a.m., and Diane and Jeremie were above the lock, sending us off (and providing great photos) on our adventures on a bright, warm and beautiful morning.

Peter ready to go

Mantra in the lock as the river gate goes down

Sherri and Peter ready to depart London

Mantra leaving St. Katherine Docks

Crossing the Prime Meridian in Greenwich

We motored down the brown-green Thames for 44 nautical miles over 6 1/2 hours to reach the Medway River, where we are now anchored and surrounded by marshes and small islands as well as industrial sites. After a needed nap, Peter is busy working on the boat again, dealing with known issues and discovering more!

Heading through the Thames Barrier

View from the boat on the Medway

View from the boat on the Medway

Tomorrow, we cross the Channel and arrive in Nieuwpoort, Belgium. Sam and Emi are coming to visit us there!