There will be a slight detour from walking the boroughs necessitated by Jen presenting a paper at Oxford ... our few days there, our day trip to the surrounding countryside and three days in London. Since England is more photogenic than NYC, I'm afraid that this may involve a lot of photos.

London (Nov. 21-24)

Can't say that London is a beautiful city -- nothing like Paris or Prague. But it is interesting and sophisticated. And it is full of wonders.

London at Night

London Gem




Imperial War Museum

This is an impressive museums. The exhibit that most caught our attention was created by artist Steve McQueen.

For each British soldiers killed in Iraq whose family granted permission, a stamp has been created. There are some 150 blocks of stamps currently in the exhibit. Each block is stored in a vertical pull out display case. It is hoped (in vain, I think) that the British government will eventually print these stamps.

Jagdpanther
Most successful German tank destroyer of WWII


Big guns in front of museum



Another memorial to killed soldiers...
(created by British children)


... and to the animals

They had no choice (Hyde Park)



Just kidding ;-)





Kew Gardens

We spent an afternoon visiting Kew Gardens, which currently features 28 of Henry Moore's large outdoor sculptures. It's a wonderful place except for one fatal flaw: it's near Heathrow airport -- one of the world's busiest -- and right on the flight path. They roar loudly and regularly-- every minute, without respite. So, a fabulous exhibit, very nice gardens, but no serenity there. We felt bad for the residents of this lovely suburban neighborhood. Another photographer, Ray Edgar, has captured this travesty quite well.

Conservatory

Henry Moore and me








The British Museum

I could visit The British Museum for a whole week and not begin to exhaust its treasures. Here are just a few of its delights, in no particular order.

The Atomic Apocalypse: Will Death Die? (Mexican papier mache)




Jen and the Rosetta Stone

Bolivian carnival costume


Yamantaka Vajrabhairava (Tibetan)