Church and Art

June 9, 2013 Sunday

We went to church with Lisa.  She attends the Lea Valley Ward, where she plays the piano for sacrament meeting (main worship service) and teaches Gospel Doctrine (adult Sunday School class).  We loved the diverse congregation.  Over half are black: African immigrants, Jamaicans, and life-long Brits.  The rest came from various countries including the United Kingdom and a handful of Americans.  Most of what was happening was done by the black members.  We did learn an interesting fact:  all white people look alike.  What a nice change from the American stereotype about black people.  Unfortunately we took no photos.

We met Rick back at Lisa's flat.  He had spent the morning with a friend named Peter who lives near London.  After snacking on Turkish leftovers, the four of us headed for the National Gallery.  This was Lisa's last free block of time, and you haven't lived until you've been in an art museum with Lisa as your guide.

Outside the National Gallery, there was a statue of George Washington.....

..... a Hari Krishna festival.....

..... and some kind of demonstration.  Two opposing groups seemed to be shouting at each other in a language we couldn't understand.  Note the hammer and sickle flags.

The quick tour through the National Gallery was really interesting for Pete and me, but probably excruciating for Rick.  He was a very good sport.

It was fun to see this painting, which is believed to be a 16th-century copy of an almost identical painting on exhibit in the Louvre.

Two Tax Gatherers, workshop of Marinus van Reymerswale, 1540s:

By the time we made it back to Lisa's, my right knee was really bothering me.  I had injured it in late May, stretching at Curves.  All this walking, climbing, and standing was aggravating the problem.  After a little research knee pain on the internet, we decided that I have a Grade 1 or maybe Grade 2 MCL tear.  Lisa came up with a package of frozen peas that I used as an ice pack for the next few days.  This is really bad timing!