BCAO. National Portrait Gallery , Palmer Gallery, Shopping, SMCG Muru and some of his pieces
Muru made this Penang soup just for me
A busy day was planned. Breakfast at Bickenhall Mansions (eggs and porridge promised), then an exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery – an opportunity to see Muru as he is mostly living in his flat.
On 17th April 2023, Boris Eldagsen won the Sony World Photography Award in London. However, instead of receiving the award, he confessed that the image he had submitted to the competition had been made in collaboration with various generative Artificial Intelligence systems
Available for sale in the gallery for 20,000 poundsInteresting composition that looks like the burgers of Calais to me
Other AI works in the range of 1000 to 6000 pounds

Muru’s work
This and the following pictures are just a very small percentage of what is hanging on the walls on the floor and all over Covid work, lots of symbolismThat is usual style, but he likes to try many styles War, doll in textile
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Started with unexpected rain for which we were not properly dressed. Had planned a lovely walk over to the Royal Academy, but taking the tube got in the way.
Stopped at a favorite shop of Japanese gardening and other sharp items
Arrived at the Royal Academy, slightly damp.
Royal Academy
Typical art
First voter Terrible action of bridesParis treaty with refused guests read rhs words
Fabulous exhibit of ships, cutouts, and colonial . Black art.
Ships first
Cut outs. The highlight by far of an excellent exhibit.
Words important Each cut out had a short summary exactly like
Interesting pieces
Racist color palette Read rhs words
Off to the Garden Museum and a Monet exhibit. Basically a bust
Some great gnomes there so not a total bust.
Great gnomes
The plan was the garden museum for Monet and dinner at the museum with…..
Just liked it because on 108th St. Millennium bridge in the background Just someOne i liked
Exhibit was heavy on photography, some of it the most incredible color compositions put together. One of them was probably 25‘ x 10‘ made 1000s of pictures in color and completely seamless. Apparently took a year. Was homage to Hokusai
Local sushi place
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In lounge, thinking of Bobbikins forthcoming lasagne
Having flown a number of the majors in the recent years , rating just for comfort of sleeping: Singapore, JAl, UA Polaris, Jet Blue Mint, Virgin.
Aligned like auto parking
Flight greatly shortened by turbulence leaving 40 minutes late and arriving 40 minutes early.
After fussing a great deal about the room, lack of things that we had sent notes about to prepare such as having a bathrobe and slippers and towels, amenities and other items working… It’s England. None of the staff seems to speak English or at least the version that we speak. That said they’re all trying hard but understaffed This time we returned to the Holmes unlikely we will come back here again
Lovely dinner withBobbikins
Cornish crab
Sea bream.
Dinner was at the Fish house a place we had been to in the past, but is now both lower in price and veteran quality according to Bobbikins.
Oh, central heating in London. The room was cold. Maintenance came up and said it’s is working fine summer temperature now the room was about 61°. We got a space heater.
QB taking a day off to stay in a hotel, and avoid being outside and wearing herself out. However, Namba is so big that even an inside stroll is tiring. Takashimaya about the size of Macy’s NYC or maybe a bit bigger. The only service I have not seen in this station/compound is a 100 bed hospital – but all corners have not been explored as yet.
Takashimaya is an integral part of Namba
Luggage transported from Echizen Village arrived on time and wrapped in an excessive amount of plastic. Plastic is ubiquitous on everything. Almost everything is wrapped or sealed in it. Picnic dinners require a large plastic bag for disposal. Thought WFoods wasteful, of course it is, but here more so.
Other direction view
Wandering ended for QB at a Starbucks Reserve, one of the so many Starbucks close together. KB went on a stroll to the kitchen supply area.
Image needs to be expanded to see the varietyTried to run me down. Was self-wandering the arcade. More detail
Checked out the knives of course. These are the closest to Takada’s a preferred maker of ours.
The upper shapes excellent for onions
Back to Dotonbori. The street is well known for its street food. Osaka seems to be known for street food.
Higher end street food Raman with sitting pattern not suitable for usThis one multiple stories
Every food stall passed had a line. Only variation was the length of the line.
A real shortage of fruit varieties throughout Japan stores.
Originally thought it was the cruise line but wherever we go we find just the same few items as above
Pre-dinner spa (QB went but was not happy with the women’s side, small, dingy), men’s side lovely and the best of all hotel ones visited. While soaking one person almost tripped over me. Gomen Nasi, repeated (sorry, excuse me). After a bit I realized he is blind. Seemed to find his way around the large room so I am guessing he is a regular.
Non-picnic dinner for a change. QB can now taste some food. Dim Sum seemed to be a good choice.
Din tai Fung of course. Just to see the lights at Namba park
A large police presence in downtown Osaka means there is unlikely to be a repeat of the canal-diving antics should Hanshin win the series decider on Sunday. Instead, the commercial city, whose people pride themselves on their carb-heavy street food and sense of humour, will mark the team’s feat with department store sales and cut-price deals at bars and restaurants.
City overviewAt entryway to the buffet/restaurant growing herbs
In Kanazawa, we stayed at a Japanese business hotel. The buffet had virtually no western food and what little they had a ran out of quickly. Had an excellent spa. Excellent yukatas is in the room but no bathrobes, low furniture, buckwheat pillows. The electrical plug is required by innovative adaptive solution, hardly any of the staff spoke any English, no hooks, no luggage racks.
Our hotel room in Kanazawa
In Osaka very different. Large westernized, business hotel. Outstanding buffet, spa, with high security and three levels of entry., no yukatas, asked for, and got foam pillows replacing the feather ones, electrical plug westernized, all staff seems to speak good English,
Much more westernized room
QB still suffering, has started a course of antibiotics
Retailing in cities: every which way we turn, including up and down, there is massive retailing. Stores are crowded. Passageways are crowded. Markets are crowded. Everything is crowded. You can walk along and market area and every 50 to 100 feet you hit another drugstore that has many times. What a CVS would have. Department stores are generally nine floors.
In one of the market areasThis is for TomThis will be for me one day this week
After wandering along Dotonbori – a well-known street along the canal – we went and search for tea.
DotoboriMote of Dotonbori
Was fruitless to search for black tea, other than the one type of Japanese black tea that we do not favor. The only solution: Starbucks. There are Starbucks everywhere, and they have good English breakfast, tea, and you can get two teabags, and a large size.
We did try to get tea in a department store and we were advised first to use B1 then 2 then 10 then 9th then 5F and we finally gave up and went to Starbucks
The obligatory visit to the stationary department at HandsNice, ceramic knives there
Finally got a small bit of rain on the walk back to the hotel. My hat got slightly damp.
Crowd on the way backPre-dinner, post spa, from hotel roomPicnic good stuff
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