Capital Citizenne

After getting sucked into the black hole that is watching Wimbledon for the past few days, my camera and I headed to the other side of the Thames for a day of people watching, photographing and eating on the South Bank. First stop of the day was Borough Market. I've always enjoyed visiting London's many wonderful and eclectic markets, from Portobello Road to Camden Town, but had never made the trip to Borough. My dear friend and fellow recent-Londoner Scott alerted me to the area as he is going to be calling it home very soon, and a classmate of mine in photography school -- who happens to be a very clever food blogger -- gave me the great and helpful tip to visit the market on Thursday to beat (some of) the crowds.

While the markets I mentioned earlier are an eclectic mix of antiques, handcrafts, arts and food, Borough Market is primarily about the food. Stall after glorious stall of food, featuring everything from English cheeses and charcuterie to more varieties of mushrooms than I have ever seen, cases of savory pies, and loads of fresh breads, seafood, produce and the most incredible looking meringues!

I smartly decided to eschew the leftovers in my fridge in favor of a market lunch, and after a few laps, I decided on a duck confit sandwich, topped off with a very dainty "scoop" of salted caramel goat's milk ice cream. Not really a fan of goat cheese myself (cue the shocked cries of "but goat cheese is sooo good, I love it" - I've tried it a million times, you can have all of mine) I was offered a sample, and it.was.good. So good!

After the market, I made my way back to the Tate Modern. The TM is a pretty divisive museum, much like modern art itself, you either like it or you don't. After an Art History class that focused on the art of the 1960s, that put the artistic movements in the historical and political context of the times, I became something of a fan, and especially a fan of the Tate Modern. The space is a converted industrial park and showcases works by the likes of Mondrian, Flavin, Ellsworth Kelly and a fantastic collection of William Eggleston photographs. I also get a kick out of eavesdropping on other visitors, hearing a lot of "why is this art, I could do that" or just giggles of bewilderment.

a felt sculpture by Robert Morris

One of the biggest luxuries I have afforded myself this trip is time; I don't have to do the whole museum in one visit, because I can come back (did I mention they are free, thanks London!). So after spending an hour wandering the fourth floor, I called it a day (to be honest, the museum was also quickly filling up with school children and getting very crowded!).

Rather than cross the river via Millenium Bridge or Blackfriars, I chose to walk the Thames Path down to Westminster, taking in the sights and sounds of the South Bank along the way. It's a vibrant river front with loads of street performers and people everywhere you look.

And just as it started to drizzle I was back over the river and on my way home.