Related Posts: Planning for London!, Planning for Blake’s London!, and Trying to Figure Out London!
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Monday
- Arrive Heathrow at 5:05 p.m.
- Take the Heathrow Express, and then taxi to hotel.
- I think I may get to my hotel around 8 p.m. Hotel is near Russell Square. Check into hotel and get situated.
- Ask the concierge for a dinner recommendation near the hotel. Or…
- Simon of shipscooksstuff.wordpress.com has kindly offered to “show [me] some of Soho’s pubs and give [me] some background on [his] home city.” So sweet! Hopefully, we’ll meet up either Monday or Thursday.
Tuesday: Special Event Day!
- Before 10 a.m., explore Russell Square and surrounding neighborhood.
- 10 a.m.: David Bowie is at the Victoria and Albert Museum. Afterwards, explore the V&A. Ask information desk about the “…four of Blake’s ‘fresco’ paintings on display permanently” as well as Arts & Crafts/William Morris and other must-sees.
- Lunch: The Queen’s Arms and/or the V&A Cafe.
- After V&A, Tate Britain: The new Blake room will open on May 6th. Ask information desk about the Pre-Raphaelites. Perhaps take a 45-minutes free collection highlights tour at 11, 12, or 3.
- Leave some time to relax and possibly nap in the late afternoon.
- 7:30 p.m.: G. E. Gallas Invited to Speak to The Blake Society! at 17 South Molton Street.
Wednesday: Touring Around!
- If exhausted from Tuesday, sleep in a little bit.
- 10 a.m.: National Gallery, National Portrait Gallery, or return to a museum from the previous day.
- Lunch: Eat somewhere near/in museums.
- 1 p.m.: Harrods Vintage Bus Tour of London with Champagne Tea at Harrods – Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, The London Eye, Westminster Abbey, Downing Street, Trafalgar Square, Nelson’s Column, Hyde Park, the Houses of Parliament, The Royal Albert Hall, a cruise on the River Thames, and tea/scones at Harrods (until 6 p.m.).
- 7/7:30 p.m.: Jack the Ripper Tour (option #1, option #2, or option #3).
Thursday: Blake’s London!
- My friend Elena may come up from Barcelona for the day to see me!
- 10 a.m.: British Museum – Department of Prints and Drawings, Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece, etc.
- Lunch: Tea and Tattle (41 Great Russell Street) or London Review Cake Shop (14 Bury Place).
- Blake historical sites: (a) St. James’s Church, (b) Royal Academy New Somerset House, (c) St. Mary’s Battersea, and (d) Bunhill Fields.
- Either National Portrait Gallery (open to 9 p.m.) or pubs with Simon.
Friday
- Depart: Back to San Francisco!
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For more updates, don’t forget to follow me on facebook, tumblr and/or twitter.
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Copyright 2013 by G. E. Gallas
6 comments | tags: Adventure, Afternoon, Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece, Arrive, Art, Arts & Crafts, Artwork, Background, Barcelona, Battersea, Big Ben, British, British Museum, Buckingham Palace, Bunhill Fields, Bus, Cafe, Cannes, Cannes Film Festival, Champagne, City, Collection, Cruise, David Bowie, David Bowie is, Depart, Department, Dinner, Downing Street, Drawings, Eat, Elena, England, Explore, Film Festival, Food, France, Fresco, Friday, Friend, Goal, Harrods, Heathrow, Highlights, Historical, History, Home, Hotel, Hyde Park, Information, Information Desk, Jack the Ripper, Learn, London, London Review Cake Shop, Lunch, May, Monday, Museum, Museums, Must-Sees, Nap, National Gallery, National Portrait Gallery, Neighborhood, Nelson's Column, New Somerset House, Paintings, Plan, Planning, Pounds, Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, Pre-Raphaelites, Previous, Prints, Pubs, Reccomendation, Relax, River Thames, Royal Academy, Russell Square, San Francisco, Scones, Ship's Cook, Short, Simon, Sleep, Soho, Solid, South Molton, St. James's Church, St. Mary's, Tate, Tate Britain, Taxi, Tea, Tea and Tattle, Thames, The Blake Society, The Houses of Parliament, The London Eye, The Queen's Arms, The Royal Albert Hall, Thursday, Time, Tour, Trafalgar Square, Travel, Trip, Tuesday, UK, Utilize, V&A, Victoria and Albert Museum, Vintage, Wednesday, Westminster Abbey, William Blake, William Morris | posted in Travel, Update
Related Posts: Planning for London! and Planning for Blake’s London!
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Firstly, I just wanted to thank all the awesome bloggers who have given me very helpful advice for this trip!
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Note: This post is really just for me to try to jot down and organize all the information/recommendations/advice I’ve received about London so far. AND MORE ADVICE IS MORE THAN WELCOMED!
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Here, I’ve narrowed down the Blake historical sites to only the ones I want to see most:
- St. James’s Church: (10) Where Blake was baptized. The font still survives.
- Westminster Abbey: (10) Where Blake practiced drawing. Monument to Blake in the Abbey’s Poet’s Corner.Will probably end up here on a bus tour!
- Royal Academy, New Somerset House: (9) Where Blake studied and occasionally exhibited his work. Original building.
- 13 Hercules Buildings: (7) Where Blake produced the Songs of Experience. House demolished in 1918.
- 17 South Moulton Street: (10) Will be here on Tuesday!
- St. Mary’s, Battersea: (10) Where Blake married Kate. Original building.
- Bunhill Fields: (9) Where Blake is buried.
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Important: Buy an Oyster card!
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Harrods Vintage Bus Tour of London with Champagne Tea at Harrods
Okay, this might be really silly/crazy/touristy, but a tour in a vintage bus plus tea time? That just sounds so ridiculous (in a good way, I think)!
Won’t have time for this on Monday or Tuesday, so will have to do either Wednesday or Thursday.
Location: Starts at Harrods, 87-135 Brompton Road, Knightsbridge.
Time: Starts at 1 p.m, for 5 hours.
Price: £49
Includes: Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, The London Eye, Westminster Abbey, Downing Street, Trafalgar Square, Nelson’s Column, Hyde Park, the Houses of Parliament, The Royal Albert Hall, a cruise on the River Thames, and tea/scones at Harrods.
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Jack the Ripper Tour
Might have time for this on Monday, or otherwise on Wednesday.
Option #1: Every night at 7 p.m. Outside exit 4 of Aldgate East Station. £9. 2 hours.
Option #2: Every night at 7 p.m. Outside exit 4 of Aldgate East Station. £9. 2 hours.
Option #3: Every night at 7:30 p.m. Outside exit 3 of Aldgate East Station. £9. 1 hour, 45 minutes.
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Tate Britain
At the very top of my list!!!
Tentatively, I think I might go to the Tate and V&A on Tuesday, the bus tour and possibly Jack the Ripper on Wednesday, and then the British Museum and Blake historic sites on Thursday.
Location: Millbank.
Time: Open daily 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Price: Free (except for special exhibitions).
Taking photos not allowed.
- Need to find out more about the renovated Blake rooms!
- Need to figure out what else I’d like to see at the Tate!
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Victoria and Albert Museum
Location: Cromwell Road.
Time: Open daily 10 a.m. to 5:45 p.m.
Price: Free (except for special exhibitions).
May take photos, unless otherwise noted.
- Ask information desk about the “…four of Blake’s ‘fresco’ paintings on display permanently.”
- David Bowie is: £14.00 (+£1.40 booking fee per ticket). Already bought my ticket!!
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British Museum
Location: Great Russell Street.
Time: Open daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Price: Free.
Photography permitted in most galleries.
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National Gallery
Not sure if I’ll have time for this.
Location: Trafalgar Square.
Time: Open daily 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Price: Free.
Taking photos not allowed.
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National Portrait Gallery
Not sure if I’ll have time for this. May go if nothing else to do on Thursday evening.
Location: St.Martin’s Place.
Time: Open Sat.-Wed. 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Thurs.-Fri. 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Price: Free (except for special exhibitions).
Taking photos not allowed.
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The Princess Louise
A restored Victorian pub. Recommended pint: Timothy Landlord’s.
Location: 208 High Holborn, Holborn. Between Covent Garden and the British Museum.
Time: 11:30 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.
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Tea and Tattle
“Fresh leaf tea in a pot and bone china, scones with clotted cream and jam, finger sandwiches and tasty cakes… could anything be more British than afternoon tea in London.”
Location: 41 Great Russell Street (opposite the British Museum).
Time: 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
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The London Review Cake Shop
“…the traditional with a twist.”
Location: 14 Bury Place Bloomsbury (near the British Museum).
Time: 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
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Coach and Horses, Soho
Very shabby, but landmark.
Location: 29 Greek Street, Soho
Time: 11 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.
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French House
Location: 49 Dean Street
Time: 12 to 11 p.m. (Food served until 4 p.m.)
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Seven Stars
Something quieter.
Location: 53-54 Carey Street (behind the Royal Courts of Justice, near some of the Blake sites around the Strand/Fleet Street).
Time: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
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The Angel
Something quieter.
Location: 61-62 St Giles High Street (a bit of a no-man’s-land between Covent Garden and Bloomsbury that’s central yet tourist-free).
Time: 12 to 11 p.m.
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The Queen’s Arms
Location: 30 Queen’s Gate Mews (near the V&A).
Time: 12 to 11 p.m.
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The Sherlock Holmes
Has a very authentic English feel. Fish & chips.
Location: 10-11 Northumberland Street
Time: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
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The Old Shades
Great fish & chips.
Location: 37 Whitehall (Trafalgar Square).
Time: 10/11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
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Lighthouse Fish Bar
Fish & chips of mammoth proportions.
Location: 8 Tooting Bec Road (1/2 block from Tooting Bec Tube Station).
Time: 11 a.m. to 1 a.m.
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Curry/Indian: Any suggestions?
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The Gay Hussar
Fabulous Hungarian food and a very interesting past illustrated by the political cartoons on its walls.
Location: 2 Greek Street, Soho.
Time: 12:15 to 2:30 p.m., 5:30 to 10:45 p.m.
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For more updates, don’t forget to follow me on facebook, tumblr and/or twitter.
***
Copyright 2013 by G. E. Gallas
39 comments | tags: 18th Century, Absolutely, Adventure, Adventuring, Advice, Afternoon, Airplane, Amount, Appointment, Appreciate, Appreciated, Apprentice, Arnolfini Portrait, Arrival, Arrive, Art, Artist, Artwork, Authentic, Baptism, Baptized, Basic, Basics, Battersea, Best, Big Ben, Birth, Born, Brainstorm, British, British Museum, Buckingham Palace, Building, Buried, Bus Tour, Cakes, Cannes, Cannes Film Festival, Champagne, Chunk, Church, City, Clotted Cream, Coach and Horses, Collection, Comic, Comic book, Comics, Covent Garden, Crazy, Cruise, Culture, Curry, Dante, David Bowie, David Bowie is, Death, Delight, Delighted, Delightful, Demolished, Depart, Departure, Disappointment, Display, Divine Comedy, Downing Street, Drawing, Drawings, Easiest, Easy, Edward, Edward I, Energy, England, English, Engraver, Engraving, Enthusiastic, Event, Everything, Excited, Exciting, Exhausted, Exhibit, Exhibition, Fame, Famous, Feel, Figure Out, Fish and Chips, Fly, Followers, Font, Food, Fountain, France, French House, Fresco, Friday, Galore, Graphic Novel, Grave, Hands, Harrods, Heathrow, Help, Helpful, Historic, Historic Sites, Historical, History, Hotel, House, Houses, Houses of Parliament, Hungarian, Hyde Park, Idea, Illuminated Books, Illustration, Illustrator, Important, Incredibly, Indian, Inn, Invitation, Invited, Jack the Ripper, Jack the Ripper Tour, Jam, King Edward, Knowledge, Lambeth, Landmark, Late, Lighthouse Fish Bar, Location, London, London Eye, Mammoth, Manageable, Map, Marriage, Married, Masquerade, May, Monday, Months, Monument, Monuments, Morning, Move, Moved, Mural, Museum, Museums, Naomi, Nap, National Gallery, National Portrait Gallery, Nelson's Column, Newton, Nice, Old, On Display, Online Comic, Open, Original, Oyster Card, Painter, Paintings, Paranoia, Pen and Ink, Perfect, Perfect Timing, Permanent, Permanently, Photograph, Photographs, Pieces, Pint, Plan, Planning, Please Help, Poet, Poet's Corner, Poetry, Portraits, Poverty, Practice, Practiced, Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, Pre-Raphaelites, Priceless, Print Room, Produce, Proportions, Pub, Public Transit, Quiet, Quieter, Readers, Rebuilt, Recommendation, Recommended, Regency, Relax, Rembrandt, Renovated, Renovation, Research, Resource, Resources, Ripper Tour, River Thames, Rooms, Royal Academy, Royal Botanic Gardens, Royal Courts of Justice, Sandwich, Schedule, School, Scones, Secret, Secrets, Seven Stars, Shabby, Sherlock, Sherlock Holmes, Sherlock Holmes Museum, Short, Silly, Situated, Soho, Speak, Special, Station, Statue, Subway, Success, Talk, Tate, Tea, Tea and Tattle, The Angel, The Blake Society, The Gay Hussar, The Ghost of a Flea, The London Eye, The London Review Cake Shop, The Old Shades, The Poet and the Flea, The Princess Louise, The Queen's Arms, The Royal Albert Hall, The Sherlock Holmes, Thursday, Tim Heath, Tired, Tombs, Tour, Tourism, Tourist, Tourist Free, Touristy, Trafalgar Square, Transportation, Travel, Trip, Tube, Tudor, Tuesday, UK, Underground, Upcoming, V&A, Van Gogh, Vermeer, Victoria & Albert Museum, Victorian, Vintage, Watercolor, Watercolour, Web Comic, Webcomic, Wedding, Wednesday, Westminster Abbey, William Blake, Works, Writer | posted in Brainstorming, Research, Travel
Wow, I can’t believe I was just nominated for another award — that’s the 3rd one in a very short span of time! I guess my dedication is starting to pay off. 
Feels especially good after receiving a number of various rejections over the past few weeks.
I would like to thank The Geek Transition for nominating me and for these kind words: “She just released a graphic novel called The Poet and The Flea, and I think it’s pretty cool. You can tell she put a lot of work into it. Congrats on the premiere, G.E.!” Thank you very very very much!!
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Rules
1. Link back to the person who nominated you.
2. Attach the icon to your site.
3. Answer the questions.
4. Nominate some other bloggers whom you feel deserve this award!
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Questions
Your favorite color?
As covered in my post “A Bit More About Me“: Since childhood, I’ve always favored blue. But nowadays everyone would accuse me of being passionate about the color black.
Your favorite animal?
Difficult question! I’m torn between llamas/alpacas, red pandas, and Shiba Inu (if a breed counts as an animal).
Your favorite non-alcoholic drink?
Tea! Especially Earl Grey, Darjeeling, and Chai.
Your favorite number?
I’m not particularly fond of numbers. Though I prefer odd to even — it’s a question of aesthetic!
Your favorite day of the week?
Don’t really have a favorite day. My least favorite day is Wednesday.
Your favorite flower?
I have developed a fascination with the history of tulips after reading The Black Tulip by Alexandre Dumas.
What is your passion?
As you can hopefully tell by my blog, writing and illustrating. Also, Japanese language and culture.
Do you watch television?
I am a junkie for high-quality dramatic series like Boardwalk Empire and Mad Men, including a million BBC shows like The Hour, Whitechapel, and House of Cards. I just fall in love with the brilliant writing, the multidimensional characters, and the amazing actors. I also love really cheesy Japanese dramas — right now, my favorite is Guilty: Akuma to Keiyaku Shita Onna (Guilty: The Woman who Made a Deal with the Devil).
Who is your favorite author?
Another difficult question! Joseph Campbell’s The Hero with a Thousand Faces is practically my bible (I mentioned I’m a Jewish atheist, right?). I’m also quite fond of Robert Graves’s I, Claudius, Alexandre Dumas’s The Count of Monte Cristo, Yukio Mishima’s Spring Snow (Haru no Yuki), E. L. Doctorow’s Ragtime, etcetera, etcetera. My bookshelf looks frighteningly like a Penguin Classics library!
Do you like 80′s movies?
Not particularly. The closest I get are the BBC series Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (1979) and Smiley’s People (1982) starring Alec Guinness. And yes, I also love the 2011 version of Tinker Tailor.
What social issues bother you?
Oh, don’t even get me started — we’ll be here forever! Just know that I watch The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, and MSNBC (Rachel Maddow, Lawrence O’Donnell, and all of them) religiously.
How do you like your eggs?
Usually, I like them scrambled. But I also like them poached, especially for an Eggs Benedict!
When did you discover blogging?
I truthfully can’t remember exactly. I remember first using a computer when I was 4 years old. And I started using deviantART sometime in middle school, if that counts.
Why do you like to blog?
I don’t always like blogging, but I’ve discovered how incredibly wonderful bloggers are on WordPress. Unlike other social media sites, bloggers here seem to have a bit more etiquette. I enjoy sharing my work and receiving positive feedback from other talented bloggers!
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Nomination
G. Martinez Cabrera
It’s been a true pleasure collaborating (Elias & The City of Cats) with Gabe thus far, and I look forward to our future projects!
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For more updates, don’t forget to follow me on tumblr and/or twitter.
***
Copyright 2012 by G. E. Gallas
8 comments | tags: A Bit More About Me, Accuse, Actors, Aesthetic, Alec Guinness, Alexandre Dumas, Alpaca, Amazing, Animal, Announcement, Appreciation, Atheist, Author, Award, BBC, Bible, Black, Blog, Bloggers, Blue, Boardwalk Empire, Bookshelf, Breed, Brilliant, Chai, Characters, Cheesy, Childhood, Claudius, Color, Congratulations, Cool, Culture, Darjeeling, Day of the Week, Dedication, deviantART, Difficult, Dog, Drama, Dramatic, Drawing, Drawings, Drink, Dumas, E. L. Doctorow, Earl Grey, Eggs, Eggs Benedict, Emperor Claudius, Enjoy, Etiquette, Everyone, Fascination, Favorite, Feedback, Flower, Fond, Frightening, Good, Graphic Novel, Graphic Novelist, Guilty, Haru no Yuki, History, House of Cards, I, Icon, Illustration, Illustrator, Incredible, J-Drama, Japan, Japanese, Jewish, Jewish American, Jewish Atheist, Joseph Campbell, Kind, Language, Laurence O'Donnell, Least, Least Favorite, Llama, Mad Men, Middle School, MSNBC, Multidimensional, Nominated, Nomination, Non-Alcoholic, Number, Odd, Panda, Passion, Passionate, Penguin Classics, Poached, Positive, premiere, Questions, Rachel Maddow, Ragtime, Reader, Reader Appreciation Award, Receive, Red Panda, Rejection, Rejections, Remember, Robert Graves, Rules, Scrambled, Series, Shiba Inu, Smilye's People, Social Issues, Social Media, Spring Snow, Talented, Tea, Television, Thank You, Thankful, The Black Tulip, The Colbert Report, The Count of Monte Cristo, The Daily Show, The Geek Transition, The Hero with a Thousand Faces, The Hour, The Poet and the Flea, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Tulip, Tulips, Version, Wednesday, Weeks, Whitechapel, William Blake, Wonderful, Wordpress, Words, Work, Writer, Yukio Mishima | posted in Announcement
