Strolling Along the South Bank

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.

© 2013, Capital Citizenne

Breakfast (and lunch, and tea) at Wimbledon

For as long as I can remember, I have spent the last week in June and the first week of July relatively glued to the television, watching tennis matches broadcast from the All England Lawn Tennis Club.  When I studied in London, I always meant to take the short tube ride from South Kensington to Wimbledon to check out the museum and grounds, but I never did make the trip. When I realized that I would in fact be living in London during the Championships, I scoured the internet looking for a way in to one of my bucket list sporting events.  What I learned was, A. I was way too late for the lottery, B. the resale market for tickets resembled something like a black market for organs, with asking (and receiving) prices in the thousands of dollars, and thankfully, C. there are thousands of tickets available nearly every day to would-be spectators who are willing to "queue" for the opportunity.

What is The Queue? Having experienced it, I would define it as the largest display of patience, en masse, I can ever imagine.  It's also one of the best traditions in sports; I can't think of another event on the level of Wimbledon where a spectator can show up on the day of (granted, very, very, very early on the day of) and pay face value for a ticket.  No scalping, no price gouging, just a keen interest and a willingness to adhere to the "Queue Code of Conduct."

Which brings me to this morning...very early this morning (some of you back in the States were probably awake when I was waking up!) After the alarm went off, I did a quick scan of the weather (chilly and windy, but no rain forecast) and a Twitter check (The Queue was already long, but not impossibly so) and got myself on the Tube by 5:45.  Thankfully, I live just a few stops away (and thankfully everyone on the Tube knew where they were going, note: the best stop for queueing is Southfields, NOT Wimbledon or Wimbledon Park, thank you fellow Tube-rides/Queuers/tennis fans!).

 

I arrived at The Queue (yes, they give it proper noun status here) around 6:30 and was given my Guide to Queueing and my Queue Card.  As you can see, I was number 3,350.  At 6:30 AM!  Within an hour, I would say our numbers had easily doubled if not tripled, and soon enough they were actually discouraging people from coming to join The Queue.  Andy Murray was scheduled to play on Centre Court, and it seemed nearly everyone in GB wanted to be a part of the start of what they hope is finally his year.

After a few cold hours of waiting, I emerged from The Queue with a Grounds ticket, giving me access to the grounds and any matches not happening on Centre Court or Courts 1 and 2 (so, none of the matches that make it to TV!)

 I had plenty of time in The Queue to plot my day, and smartly purchased a special edition newspaper with the schedule of play and court assignments (though I primarily purchased it because they were offering it with a  fleece blanket that would keep me warm and dry on the grass...and a chocolate bar that, admittedly, served as breakfast!).  But before I got down to the business of tennis, it was already time for lunch, which at Wimbledon must include Strawberries and Cream!

Then I headed to Court 14, which was scheduled for an American double feature.  The first match featured American Vania King vs. France's Alize Cornet.  The match did not go in King's favor, but it was great to watch.

Up next was a star from last year's Championships - and not only for having played the longest match in the tournament's history - the USA's John Isner.  Isner took on Evgeny Donskoy and while Donskoy never took a set, they did play two tie breaks and it was a very exciting match. Seeing Isner's serve in person is something to behold - I did feel for the judges who frequently had to make a call and simultaneously duck for their life!

After Isner's victory, I treated myself to a Pimm's No. 1 and headed up to Henman Hill, better known these days as Murray Mound.  Adjacent to Court 1, the Hill/Mound has a giant screen that broadcasts matches from  the show courts.  I arrived to see the beginning of what turned into the biggest upset of the day (Steve Darcis beating Rafa Nadal!) and settled in for the first set of Andy Murray v. Benjamin Becker.  It was a great atmosphere to watch tennis, even if it was on a giant screen rather than in person.  I can see why so many people queue just to park themselves on the Hill with a picnic basket (fun note: spectators are welcome to bring food into the grounds and many of them do.)

All in all, it was a wonderful and exciting day, and one that I honestly never thought I'd experience!  I may even be tempted to get up with the dawn and join The Queue again later this week!

Tasting London

For quite a long time, London's food scene got a bad rap, but times have certainly changed.  London -- not unlike D.C. -- is buzzing with fabulous restaurants popping up all over the city.  Today, I ventured to Regent's Park to sample offerings from 40 of the city's best restaurants, in addition to a number of specialty food producers, at the annual Taste of London. Not knowing exactly where to start, I started at the most logical of locations, the "world of beer" where I purchased a pint of ale and studied the program and map, plotting my course.  Of course, I changed my mind a million times once I was actually face to face with the food, settling on a delicious risotto, a trio of seafood sliders and a spicy ox cheek doughnut.  As you can see, I also used the day to practice some of the photography techniques and lessons I learned last week -- taking photos in manual mode takes some patience and some getting used to, but I am enjoying it!

Acquerello risotto with 8 year-aged organic parmesan from Babbo

A trio of seafood sliders from The Angler

Spicy ox cheek doughnut with apricot jam from the Duck and Waffle

Everything I tried was delicious, and I would have eaten more but I ran out of "Crowns" (the currency of Taste) at the same time I ran out of room in my stomach, though I also sampled a bite of black pudding as well as some delicious English cheeses that made their way back to my flat!

Tomorrow, I am planning to set my alarm clock for the wee hours of the morning in hopes of joining fellow tennis fans in The Queue at Wimbledon (wish me luck, apparently all of tomorrow's show court tickets have already been accounted for by fans camping out since early this morning!)