Culture Day in London

I spent my first full day in London having lunch at a country hotel with my great aunt. She is a feisty 89 year old who describes things as “cocking up” and being “complete shambles”. Belgian chocolate and ginger fondant with ginger beer sorbet was a highlight, and served as a good distraction from my great aunt’s subtle racism.

The next day was Culture Day for Maddi and me. There was an installation at the Barbican called the Rain Room, because if there’s anything Londoners need it’s more rain. Despite the ridiculous concept it’s actually an amazing installation where you can walk through rain and it doesn’t touch you. Or that's what the website said; there was a two-hour wait when we got there so we went shopping instead.

Walking through Covent Garden we stumbled upon a bunch of people crowded around an empty square. We were about to head off when a brass band started playing 'Walking on Sunshine' and a flash mob appeared. Any squealing you can hear in the video is entirely Maddi. 

Culture Day continued at the Victoria and Albert museum with a Middle Eastern photography exhibit.

This was part of a series of photographs of Iranian women in traditional dress with modern objects (here, a can of pepsi) to comment on the tensions between tradition and contemporary society. 

We rounded out the day with Matilda the musical, scored by Tim Minchin.

The next morning I made a quick visit to the National Portrait Gallery and Trafalgar Square before heading to Glasgow. Excellent whirlwind tour of London, thanks Maddi and Louisa!