h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Saturday 27th May 2000

First stop Carluccio’s Café. Take the Bakerloo line to Oxford Circus from Waterloo and walk towards C&A. Go behind C&A across a couple of small streets and there it is, decked out in classic blue and white Carluccio style. Walk through the shop selling numerous varieties of olive oil, pastas and other mouth-watering comestibles and wait to be seated at the square café style tables for two or the long communal tables. A large glass of a very acceptable Pinot Grigio for me, and a glass of Montepeluciano D’Abrruzzio for my better 7/8ths , along with a bottle of still water to share. A bowl of mixed olives, shared, my better 7/8ths followed with Focaccia with mozzarella, tomato and basil. It was pasta con funghi for me, after all Antonio Carluccio is famous for his wild mushroom cuisine , although perhaps a little too much salt to be called perfect this time. Total price, including tip, £25-00.

On then to our prime objective of the day, Tate Modern, the latest Museum of Modern Art in London ( http://www.tate.org.uk/modern/ ). The route from Waterloo is a familiar one, I had passed the de-commissioned Bankside Powerstation many times before, with the re-constructed Globe theatre nestling in its shadow. As we rounded the corner we noticed the queue, but what can you expect for a new attraction on a Bank Holiday Saturday. Resigned but determined we found our way to the end of the snaking line of people being marshalled by gallery staff in bright yellow fluorescent jackets. Twenty minutes later we were entering the vast expanse of the old turbine hall to look up at Louise Bourgois’ Giant Spider, and on through to the three enormous tower sculptures, I Do, I Undo, I Redo. Monumental sculpture for a monumental space, but this is not a permanent exhibit. I will have to go again to see the next exhibition to fill this hall.

Unlike say, San Fransisco MoMA ( http://www.sfmoma.org/ ) which was purpose built, or the Musee D’Orsay in Paris ( http://www.musee-orsay.fr/ ) which was converted from a grand railway station, Tate Modern retains the hard industrial edge which reflects its provenance. The flooring is uncompromising concrete or un-varnished wood, girders and piping remain exposed and the light boxes which surround the gallery windows looking into the turbine hall seem to have an industrial purposefulness.

Having made a closer inspection of the Giant Spider we decided to work down from the top and so took the escalator up to floor 5. One of the first sights to greet us was Rodin’s The Kiss. This was to be the first of many real life experiences of well known pieces including a number of Dali paintings and the (in)famous ‘Equivalent VIII’ two layers of firebricks by Carl Andre.

There are far too many exhibits in the three floors of galleries and exhibitions to describe them all but a few stand out in my memory. Mario Merz’s Igloo displayed in Structures for Survival provides a hemispheric frame of metal with occasional slabs of natural slate suspended on the frame. Large glass shards provide the entrance tunnel, a contradiction. The four mirrored cubes of Robert Morris’s untitled work, in which the observer becomes, by reflection, part of the work. Cornelia Parker’s Cold Dark Matter: An Exploded View, a mass of suspended objects with a single large lightbulb in the middle providing illumination. Finally, Lightening with Stag in its Glare, by Joseph Beuys. The huge suspended slab of aluminium suggests the raw power of lightening, the stag, not lifelike but sufficiently recognisable.

Three and a half hours was both enough time and not enough time. We headed back to Waterloo, stopping at a small back street pub I had occasionally visited, in my previous life working up here, for a quick pint. From Waterloo, the Northern Line to Euston and from there a short walk to the Diwana Bel Puri in Drummond Street. My wife had been promising to take me to this small Indian Vegetarian restaurant for some time. It is not licensed so there was a quick diversion to the off-licence next door for a couple of bottles of cold Cobra. The décor is basic, varnished pine tables and pine cladding on the walls. The clientele is mixed, indian families, caucasian couples, all life is here.

We ordered a Thali each, the most expensive on the menu at £6 . For those not familiar with Indian restaurants (at least in the UK), a Thali is a metal tray with the food served in small metal bowls. This one was a complete meal with small onion bhaji’s, rice, dhal (a lentil curry), two other vegetable curries, 3 chapati’s, and the best srikhand (a strained yoghurt dessert lightly spiced with saffron and cardamom) I have ever tasted. Total bill £12 plus the Cobra from the off-licence. Replete and happy we returned to Waterloo for the train home and an evening savouring the memories of an interesting day.

Oh wow. I would enjoy any one of these three places. All three in the same day is truly a treat!

I love that Tate Modern keeps the industrial feel. What kind of reactions did you notice from others? When I am in Boston's Museum of Fine Arts there is a creepy atmosphere...too much reverence. At the Isabel Stewart, though it is *not* filled modern art, people are more relaxed. I bet it is like that at Tate Modern. Or at least I hope it is.

I would not be able to pull myself away from the Rodin sculpture, though that igloo sounds like something I would sit and ponder for a long time. Shards for the entrance...I have no idea what this piece looks like in real life, but in my head it is amazing.

And I have never had Indian food. Well...once in NYC a friend and I had something that *might* have been Indian, but we were too in awe of being in NYC to appreciate what we were eating

This is a great entry, BluesSlider. Makes my belly and soul more eager for my trip. Thank you.

Points in order:

It was

I was too busy looking for myself to notice others but the atmosphere wasn't church-like.

On the Rodin, I think I was suffering statue fatigue after Rome, it was good, but not my favourite piece. The Igloo was amazing but I think the 'Lightening' piece was also quite breath-taking.

You must try Indian food, it's the best, and if you find a real Indian restaurant they're usually great for veggies.

I'm glad you liked it try and spend some time in London if you come over to Europe again after this trip. (Of course, you could always accidentally miss that connection )

As an American that was introduced to a true London curry in September of last year, just let me say: YUM!

It's very similar to Etheopian food, which you can find in abundance here in Chicago. If you have never had Etheopian food I STRONGLY suggest going out. It's amazing stuff!

Never tried Etheopian food, maybe I'll find some in London. What sort of things do they do?

If I do "miss" my flight, I think I will make sure there isn't another for two days so I can get to see a few more place than just an English pub. However, I suspect finances will encourage me to try real hard *not* to miss that flight But...I think my next holiday will have to be the UK. The more time I spend on h2g2, the more interested I am in seeking out the places I've only read about in books, particularly the Yorkshire moors and Scotland.

I think your statue fatigue will be my cathedral fatigue. Every guidebook I've looked at devotes more pages to cathedrals than anything else. I *do* enjoy the architectural wonders of these buildings, but spires and gargoyles will probably haunt my sleep.

As long as the gargoyles aren't too scary

Well, Ethiopian food uses many spices that I find similar to curry spices. They bring your food to you on one big plate. Each of the dishes is essentially a paste. I ordered the lamb and it was very finely chopped and mixed with a tangy sauce, and I got the chicken. The chicken was specifically cubed, but if the food is not a paste, it says on the menue. (keep in mind I've only been to one Ethiopian restaurant so it may differ in others).

Anyhow, each dish/paste is separated on the huge plate by some salad. They bring you "bread" which is really flat-stretchy-tangy pancake-like food. The idea is that you tear off some of the pancake, and grab some of the paste/meat/veggie in it then you eat. There are no utensils and it's a very social meal with everyone eating off of the same plate.

We also had some honey wine, which is very different to anything I've ever had, and very strong. Their tea is sweet and cinnimony at the same time.

All in all, it was an absolutely delicious and enjoyable meal. I highly reccomend it.

Being a veggie might complicate things a bit from what you describe but I shall certainly investigate .

No! Most of my friends are veggies. The Ethiopian restaurant we went to had a whole huge section on veggies! Beans and zuccinis and all sorts of tasty things I don't know how to pronounce.

About 6 of the individuals there had totally veggie meals and LOVED them. I had beans and mushrooms..... *does the Homer Simpson drool*

It's VERY veggie friendly.

Sounds like a great day out, Slider - and excellently reported too. I suspect I'm going to have to tell my workmates that I have "a meeting in London" pretty soon to go and visit the place myself.

And Zmrzlina, having very recently revisited the Yorkshire moors, I can strongly recommend you spend some time there. But allow lots of time to get from point A to point B - traffic moves very slowly up there

I *love* slow moving traffic