Queen Victoria's devotion to her beloved Albert is well-recorded in her journals, and great swathes of London are dedicated to his memory, including the Albert Memorial (above, glinting in the afternoon sun) in Hyde Park, opposite the Albert Hall. My picture seems to have given it a Pisa-effect, but there is no subsidence, and only my astigmatism to blame.The memorial to both husband and wife, or queen and consort in their case, is the instructive and visit-worthy Victoria & Albert Museum, where I whiled away a couple of hours, in particular to view the Architectural Exhibition Gallery, but also the art collection, and the very many other beauties on offer.
It amuses me slightly that I lived only a few minutes away from the V&A, when I was beginning my career in financial services, as a trainee for an international bank at the tender age of 18. I know I did visit the museum then, but not with any great enthusiasm, and certainly not with the passion I have for these establishments now. I know too I wasn't completely averse to culture per se, (I believe these characteristics are innate), but the impatience of youth, and the tendency not to go and see and do the things right on your doorstep made me attempt these excursions gingerly.
Happily this imbalance can be rectified quite easily today and have given a great deal of meaning and pleasure to this part of my life, albeit at the expense and inconvenience of long distance travel.
I thought the exquisite Dale Chihuly chandelier was a beautiful juxtaposition with the lit ornate neo Gothic gilded panel, as depicted in the other two pictures, displaying one of my favourite themes, of mixing the very best of modern and antique. Clearly others disagree...
Not unlike a naive 18 year old trainee banker with a polished sophisticate. Oh, whatever! Clearly the jet-lag is still affecting my brain.
