St. Paul's, Millenium Bridge, Tate Modern...

Today was a busy day! I went to St. Paul's Cathedral, then walked across the Millennium Bridge to Tate Modern. After that, I headed to the National Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery. It was an art-filled day!
St. Paul's





Millennium Bridge


View from the bridge


Walking across - the tall thing in the background is part of Tate


The front of Tate. Does anyone else remember a huge spider like this at the top of the Roppongi Shopping center in Tokyo?


Inside the Tate Modern is this big artistic piece on the first floor (literally). It's a big crack. According to Wikipedia:
Doris Salcedo is the eighth artist to have been commissioned to produce work for the turbine hall of the Tate Modern gallery in London. Her piece, Shibboleth 2007, is a 167-metre-long crack in the hall's floor that Salcedo says "represents borders, the experience of immigrants, the experience of segregation, the experience of racial hatred. It is the experience of a Third World person coming into the heart of Europe."

It just looks like a big crack to me. Very artistic, indeed! But I'm not exactly the most cultured person ever.

The crack and me.


I took the tube a lot today, so here's a picture of the inside.

Looks like any other subway, except I think out of all the ones I've been to (NY, HK, Japan), I think London's is at the bottom of the list in terms of efficiency/newness. The announcer guy thought he was being funny and announced to everyone waiting for the Northern Line at Charing Cross that the train will be stopped due to a robbery or something or other. Everyone heaved a collective groan and then the guy goes "ahem... I have now been told the train is back in service." Thank god cuz I might have collapsed if I had to walk all the way back!!

The National Gallery (the Portrait Gallery is in the back). Wasn't allowed to take pictures inside, so that's as much as you're gonna get.


Some Jewish thingy going on in Trafalgar Square


After that long day, I really wanted some ramen... so I had to go for London's answer to Japanese food: Wagamama. I've had a number of [non-asian] people recommend this place to me for it's excellent food. The first time I tried it, I thought it was TOTALLY bland, and that these people needed to be taught what real Japanese food tastes like. Nevertheless, it was the only place around Victoria that I knew had ramen. Since I hadn't spent any money at all for the day, I splurged!

Gyoza too!


Ramen... with spinach? And that white thing is a little slab of fish... and a portabello mushroom. Very strange indeed, but tamed the craving for the time being.


Sigh... time to head back to my hotel. Night view of Victoria Station.