Having visited most of London’s major museums by now, Jack and I took to rambling around the city.

The Royal Academy of Arts

A bit south of Oxford Circus, the Royal Academy of Arts is a private institution dedicated to the promotion, teaching of and appreciation of all things fine and art. The art was already evident within the courtyard.

Sadly, we found out we had to pay to get in, so instead we walked around the exterior and were soon on our way.Art can be found everywhere!

Okay, this was still outside of the Royal Academy of Art… but art was also elsewhere in the city!

The Photographers’ Gallery

On we went, until we found the Photographers’ Gallery. We weren’t allowed to take any photos inside but we did see a lot of photos — the exhibit at the time (Human Rights Human Wrongs) was on the development of human rights and suffrage on a global scale, within the past sixty years. The fight for human rights in any country is simply the rectification of what should be, a righting of a grievous wrong. Seeing documentation of this fight was incredibly weighty, and I felt almost chastised for not having understood this part of global history. I still don’t understand enough, of course (and perhaps I never will) but this awoke in me a longing to know more.

Up on a further floor there was a small alcove, through which you could look out the gallery and back down into the tightly packed backs of London’s buildings.

University College London

We took a breather after the Photographers’ Gallery and strolled a bit through University College London, looking for all the world like two lost students. The first university in London to accept all students regardless of religion, the institution claims to also be the first university to avoid discriminating students based on gender. Over half of the students at this school are involved in graduate studies and UCL claims alma mater status to 29 Nobel Prize winners. The interior actually reminded me of much older parts of the University of Calgary, but the exteriors? Just imagine going to school in a building like this.

Welp, that was half of our adventure-fun-rambles in London. Next up: Southbank Food Market!