{"id":17735,"date":"2018-03-08T22:34:39","date_gmt":"2018-03-08T22:34:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thesojournseries.com\/bavaria\/?p=17735"},"modified":"2018-03-14T08:47:23","modified_gmt":"2018-03-14T08:47:23","slug":"of-old-and-new-borough-market-and-tate-modern","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thesojournseries.com\/bavaria\/of-old-and-new-borough-market-and-tate-modern\/","title":{"rendered":"Of Old and New – Borough Market and Tate Modern – London"},"content":{"rendered":"

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I am taking you on a little London photo walk, starting off at the Tate Modern<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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This intimidating behemoth of a building started off life as a power station before joining the Tate Family, rising out of its once dilapidated state into something truly glorious – a little like Battersea Power Station is doing today.\u00a0 \u00a0It was designed by the same person by the way, who was also responsible for the very British and quite iconic Red Phone Box.\u00a0 If you look closely, the main tower looks a little familiar don’t you think?<\/p>\n

Enjoying its Thames side perch at Bankside, it’s visited by thousands of visitors each day who wander through rooms that were once filled with giant oil tanks, boilers and turbines (these visitors may secretly be visiting for the building alone if they are industrial architect fanatics like me!) to appreciate all of the sometimes weird but usually wonderful art now on display…<\/p>\n

This vast space has grown somewhat considerably recently with the addition of the Switch House, increasing the space by some 60%…\u00a0 \u00a0You know what?\u00a0 Even if you claim not to like art,\u00a0 I still think you should come here for the architecture and the new viewing platform alone.\u00a0 The views of the skyline in this part of the city are just amazing, and as someone who hasn’t spent that much time in London over the past few years,\u00a0 it was almost frightening to see just how its changed in the years we have been away (can’t say I am a fan of all<\/em> of the new buildings, but a lot of\u00a0 them are striking to say the least!)…\u00a0 \u00a0I have to say that the lifts are stressful and small in the Switch though, and there seems to be a lot of waiting around for them, but the view when you get there is definitely worth it…<\/p>\n

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The Tate Modern’s main Turbine Hall tends to be the place that most families like to spend time in once the more serious art inspecting is out of the way.\u00a0 It usually has some installation that is fun in some way or another.\u00a0 This visit we enjoyed hanging around on the giant “One Two Three Swing” exhibition, which judging by the swings and chains piled up in one corner could be adjusted and moved about on the frames depending on who’s in charge of the gallery that week.\u00a0 Each two\/three person swing is supposed to represent “combating social apathy through collective action” – but if you are only two, it just signified sitting squashed between your siblings screaming to go higher… And that’s the thing about art, whatever your interpretation, as long as it provokes some kind of reaction that’s the whole point?<\/p>\n

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The toddler also enjoyed spending time beneath the mammoth disco ball (Pendulum – by the same Danish Artists – Superflex – as the swing exhibition) and we let him run about extensively to expend a bit of energy before moving on to some more traditional art.\u00a0 \u00a0We found another Little Dancer here<\/a> by the way, this one you are very much allowed to photograph as it’s owned by the Tate Group!<\/p>\n

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It’s been so long since we visited this gallery, and like most of London it’s changed a lot…\u00a0 One thing that hasn’t changed though is that it’s an incredibly child friendly space, and there are little touches like family hosts on hand at weekends, family guide leaflets, and the Drawing Bar<\/a> where artists (young and old) are encouraged to draw something on one of the many screens before it is projected onto the walls, all of which help to make art an enjoyable experience for kids…\u00a0 \u00a0The facilities are great, there’s a choice of cafes\/restaurants, and the shops have so many lovely books and toys in them that parents might easily find themselves leaving considerably poorer…<\/p>\n

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Afterwards we continued our walk along the South Bank, past The Globe and all of its Shakespearean history (it’s well worth watching a play here with older children by the way, just bear in mind it’s worth paying the extra for a seat to avoid any moaning!), this is where London begins to feel truly old…<\/p>\n

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The front of this Borough Market building used to belong to the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden if you thought you recognised it…<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Before too long we arrived at Borough Market, which when we first moved to South West London back in 1996 was probably on its last legs.\u00a0 \u00a0Then, thanks to a change in attitude towards food generally perhaps, a new lease of life was breathed in and the rest as they say is history.<\/p>\n

I love Borough Market, it always felt slightly busy on a weekend some 16\/17 odd years ago, when we would come away from the melee clutching prized parcels of food to take back home.<\/p>\n

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Native Oysters – funny to think they were once considered peasant food!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Nowadays though (it’s open fully on a Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday fully, and a more limited market is available on a Monday\/Tuesday) it is positively heaving and visited by an estimated 16 million people a year – and boy does it feel like it (undoubtedly helped with its popularity by films such as Bridget Jones and Harry Potter!).\u00a0 \u00a0This hecticness is possibly more authentic though?\u00a0 \u00a0Borough Market has existed for just over a thousand years in one form or another (in its most recent site since 1756) and was famed for causing problems due to overcrowding.\u00a0 \u00a0At least we don’t have to worry about livestock wandering around and causing chaos nowadays I guess.<\/p>\n

I can really recommend Kappacasein’s<\/a> drool worthy toasted cheese sandwich made with cheddar, onions and leeks on delicious sourdough.\u00a0 \u00a0The 13 year old can recommend the Bratwurst with Sauerkraut found on a Deutsch stall nearby, which might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but she said it was sehr sehr gut…<\/p>\n

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the best toasted cheese sandwich in the world?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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We all enjoyed our very tasty trip down memory lane, and vowed at some point to return (without the Small People) to do one of Celia Brooks food tours (the only tour licensed by Borough Market).\u00a0 \u00a0Some of us might have worn ourselves out somewhat, and maybe eaten a little too much that morning…<\/p>\n

As he was surrounded by artists busy sketching the market, I like to call this last photograph “Still Life”…<\/p>\n

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Still life – Borough Market<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A day spent enjoying art, architecture and food!\u00a0 Throw in a visit to a historic pub like The Market Porter<\/a> (Harry Potter fans might recognise it!! It’s open from 6am each day for the market traders!), then that’s pretty much a perfect day’s exploring for me!…<\/p>\n

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