Wimbledon! (and the National Gallery)

Construction work for the new court 3

The trophies

The photographer on Centre Court

Centre Court

Courts between No. 1 and Centre court

Henman Hill, Rusedski Ridge, Murray Mountain...

On top of Henman's Hill

Court No. 1, not sure why I look stoned...I'm not

The grounds (Cue Wimbledon theme music)

Sunday in London was all about Wimbledon! This was definitely my favorite part of the weekend. It was similar to a pilgrimage to holy ground for me. Going to Wimbledon was like going to the Baseball Hall of Fame. We took the tube out to Wimbledon and then walked to the grounds from out train stop. We started out in the museum for about an hour until our tour started at which point our tour guide took us around the grounds. We saw Court 1, some of the outlying courts, Henman Hill, the press building and then the holy of holies, Centre Court! It was all really interesting and I almost felt like taking my shoes off because I was on hallowed ground. It was surprising that Court 1 and Centre Court were not as big as they seem on tv. I'm pretty sure there isn't a bad seat in either stadium because they both feel quite intimate. The tour was cool, about an hour and a half and then Jordan and I went back and finished up in the museum. I have to say that I was very impressed by the museum I went in not expecting too much, but it was really informative and had some interactive exhibits too. After the museum I picked up some Wimby memorabilia in the store. All in all the best 15 pounds I've spent yet!

After Wimbledon we took the train back to Trafalgar square and spent some time at the National Gallery. Similar to the British Museum the gallery is another example of Britain's pack rat mentality when it comes to history and art. They had a Da Vinci, Raphael's, Michelangelo's, Monet's, Van Gogh's and tons of other artists work that I have never heard of. Basically, just an obscene number of portraits, landscapes and impressionist pieces. I would not consider myself a big art person, but I was dazzled. I liked most everything except for the impressionist stuff, you might say I was less than impressed with the impressionists! I can't complain at all though, the National Gallery was fun and free. Rick Steves' recommends it and so I pretty much have to as well.

Overall of the three cities I've traveled to so far, I would say London is my favorite, with York second, and Manchester a pretty distant third. London just has so much to see that I know I'll need to come back. It's like a really good movie that you can watch over and over and each time little nuances come out and it gets better and better.

I'll leave you with a note about the pictures, I did not take them because my camera's battery died on top of St. Paul's. And I am of course, all about giving credit where credit is due, so thank you Jordan for your contribution to my blog. Secondly, in retrospect my battery dying was probably a good thing because Jordan takes much better pictures than me! So, if ya don't know, now ya know...