Part 1 – Tickets to the Opera
As with any good story, we must start at the beginning. My friend Cam had been given two tickets to an exhibit at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London on the history of Opera. Since the tickets were only good for one day, we decided to take advantage of the free tickets and take the train into London. The exhibit turned out to be far more interesting than we had expected and the design of the exhibit was really neat. In addition to a fully mechanized stage, they also had Mozart’s piano and costumes dating back to the 1700s. One of my favourite touches were the Opera summaries like the one below. They made the exhibit more accessible for an Opera newbie like myself.
Part 2 – In Search of Diana
After we made our way through the exhibit we decided to leave the rather crowded museum and take a stroll through Hyde Park. Cam was very excited about visiting the park and wanted to see the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain. Once inside the park, we took a quick detour to the Prince Albert Memorial (picture below) which was really spectacular. We then ended up getting lost several times but we did eventually make our way to the fountain… only to discover it closed 30 minutes prior. Nevertheless, the park itself was very cool so it wasn’t too big a loss.
A shot of the Prince Albert Memorial – look at all that gilding.
Part 3 – The Glittering World of Harrods
Our final stop of the day was spur of the moment – a quick trip into Harrods, a London staple. It had begun to get dark out and the department store was fully decked out in beautiful shining lights. Going inside was like stepping into another world – one where couture dresses and champagne bars were just par for the course. Although we didn’t stay long, it truly was a magical experience.
Harrods at night.
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