London Hosts Alexander McQueen’s ‘Savage Beauty’ Exhibit Among Cultural Happenings

LONDON, ENGLAND — Fashion by the late, great Alexander McQueen and music from Grammy award winning Sam Smith are just two of the headline events attracting visitors to London in March 2015.

Savage Beauty, the Alexander McQueen exhibition which became one of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s top 10 most visited exhibitions when it was shown in New York in 2011, comes to London’s Victoria and Albert Museum this spring, from March 14 2015.

But it’s not the only McQueen exhibition in London this month. Visitors to Tate Britain can get a behind-the-scenes insight into the phenomenal fashion designer’s working process through Nick Waplinton’s candid photographs.

From haute couture to ‘Fashion on the Ration’, the Imperial War Museum documents wartime dress, while ‘Beard’, an exhibition by award-winning photographer Brock Elbank at Somerset House, proves that facial hair has gone beyond fashion to become an art form.

Four-time Grammy award winner Sam Smith plays intimate shows at the O2 Academy Brixton while other live music highlights include Mexican guitar duo Rodrigo y Gabriela and American pop punk band All Time Low at Wembley Arena and ambient dance duo Underworld at Hammersmith Apollo.

There’s a who’s who of leading ladies on the London stage in March with Zoe Wanamaker in ‘Stevie’, Maureen Lipman playing opposite James Dreyfus in ‘Harvey’, Imelda Staunton leading the West End transfer of the critically acclaimed Chichester Festival Theatre production of ‘Gypsy’ and Emma Thompson as Mrs. Lovett in an English National Opera production of ‘Sweeney Todd’.

Also new on the London stage this month, Stephen Mangan stars in Sam Holcroft’s dark comedy, Rules for Living, and Ugly Betty’s Michael Urie is in hit US comedy Buyer and Cellar at the Menier Chocolate Factory.

For a fun family day out there’s the St Patrick’s Day Parade on Sunday 15th March, or join former Children’s Laureate Anthony Browne at The Big Write. Children aged 6 to 12 can immerse themselves in Punchdrunk’s theatrical journey ‘Against Captain’s Orders’ at the National Maritime Museum, and the ‘Shaun in the City’ trail places giant colorful sheep around town.

On Mother’s Day, Sunday, March15, London has plenty of ways to show mum how much you appreciate her whether you want to treat her to a West End show or Afternoon Tea in Billingsgate Market.

For more information on these and other London events, go to LondonTown.com, where there is a wide choice of London hotels to suit all budgets is given as well as information on restaurants, attractions and all the latest London happenings.
For more travel features, visit:

www.examiner.com/eclectic-travel-in-national/karen-rubin

www.examiner.com/international-travel-in-national/karen-rubin

travelwritersmagazine.com/TravelFeaturesSyndicate

goingplacesnearandfar.wordpress.com

‘Like’ us on facebook.com/NewsPhotoFeatures

Twitter: @TravelFeatures

New: Moral Compass: Great Places to Go Where the Going Does Good

moralcompasstravel.info

Check out our newest travel site for special deals, insiders’ tips at tidbitts.com: http://www.tidbitts.com/karen-rubin/where-in-the-world

50 Tall Ships Sail into London as Part of ‘Totally Thames’ Month-Long Festival

‘Totally Thames’ is an exciting new, month-long arts and cultural celebration of London’s river, featuring over 100 river-related events along its entire 42 mile course through the capital, taking place for the first time throughout September.

Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman will create an extraordinary new sculpture, his first UK commission, which will be situated in the River Thames at Nine Elms on the South Bank for the month of Totally Thames. Details remain a closely guarded secret until Tuesday 2nd September 2014 when the installation will be towed upriver from its build site to its end position at Nine Elms on the South Bank between Battersea and Vauxhall.

On Friday 5th and Saturday 6th September 2014 internationally renowned French artists Carabosse present ‘Fire Garden,’ a spectacular display of fire and light, and one of the last ever public events at Battersea Power Station before it closes for development.

Visitors can immerse themselves in ‘The Thames SENSEation,’ a free family event at Victoria Embankment Gardens on Saturday 6th and Sunday 7th September 2014 which explores the sights, aromas, tastes, textures and sounds of London’s bygone eras. This multi-sensory festival designed by the award-winning House of Gastrophonic in partnership with The Northbank.

The largest Tall Ship event in London for 25 years comes to Royal Greenwich September 5-9, 2014. Royal Greenwich Tall Ships Regatta, the first major Tall Ships event in the city since London hosted the Tall Ships Race in 1989, will bring up to 50 ships from Falmouth to Royal Greenwich for four days of festivities.

One event stretches the whole length of the Thames, the ‘Source to Sea River Relay’ brings a bottle of Thames water from its source in the Gloucester hills to the sea. The bottle, passed hand-to-hand, arrives in London on 1st September – the first day of Totally Thames – and travels across the capital and out to sea on September 30, the final day of the Totally Thames festival.

And, for those travelling to London for the festival which includes many free events, it’s possible to find a choice of cheap hotels in London a short walk from the river, through LondonTown.com, a leading Internet site for London, as well as information on restaurants, attractions, sightseeing tours, and all the latest London happenings.

With over 18 years of experience assisting visitors to the capital, LondonTown team is proud of their customer service and editorial independence – no banner advertising or paid for content is allowed. The LondonTown.com team assist in finding cheap London hotels, sightseeing tours, ticket information and events. Visit www.LondonTown.com.
For more travel features, visit:

www.examiner.com/eclectic-travel-in-national/karen-rubin

www.examiner.com/international-travel-in-national/karen-rubin

travelwritersmagazine.com/TravelFeaturesSyndicate

goingplacesnearandfar.wordpress.com

moralcompasstravel.info

‘Like’ us on facebook.com/NewsPhotoFeatures

Twitter: @TravelFeatures

 

 

New London Walking Tour Delves Into Legacy of England’s Legal System

Context, organizer of acclaimed walking tours, is expanding its programs on culture and history with an innovative tour delving into the development and eccentricities of the English legal system.

During the new walk, Of Inns and Wigs, Understanding Legal London, Context experts and former barristers take visitors through the Inns of Court; a labyrinth located just off the busy Strand dotted with secluded squares, alleyways and courtyards. This hidden area, where tourists would not normally wander on their own, has been home to the legal profession since the Middle Ages and is when students of law first came to study and live.

In addition to tracing the evolution of the legal system, the walk features many architectural gems of the heart of London including the 12th-century Temple Church (once the headquarters of the medieval Knights Templar and later remodelled by Sir Christopher Wren), the Tudor gateway at Lincoln’s Inn to the Georgian splendors of New Square and the Victorian grandeur of the Royal Courts of Justice.

“The English legal system and its codes have always fascinated foreigners,” notes Petulia Melideo, head of Context’s UK operations. “This walk grants a unique window into this secretive world, but also explores its quirks such as barristers’ ubiquitous horsehair wigs and the codes of court.”

Of Inns and Wigs, Understanding Legal London lasts three hours and is available Monday through Friday. Group walks cost £70 per person. Private tours cost £280 per party. As with all Context walking seminars, groups are led by a credentialed expert and limited to six (6) people maximum.

Founded by National Geographic writer Paul Bennett and designer Lani Bevacqua, Context Travel is a network of English-speaking scholars and professionals, including art historians, writers, architects and gastronomes, who organize and lead walking seminars in twenty-four (24) world cities, including: Florence, Rome, Venice, Naples, Paris, London, Edinburgh, Madrid, Barcelona, Berlin, New York, Philadelphia, Boston, Washington, D.C., Istanbul, Athens, Beijing, Shanghai, Vienna, Prague, Budapest, Tokyo, and Kyoto. A certified B Corporation, Context Travel was named one of the fastest growing American companies in 2011 by Inc Magazine. Travel + Leisure has called Context one of the top European tour companies for its innovative approach to travel and the depth of its programs. More information atwww.contexttravel.com.

 

For more travel features, visit:

www.examiner.com/eclectic-travel-in-national/karen-rubin

www.examiner.com/international-travel-in-national/karen-rubin

travelwritersmagazine.com/TravelFeaturesSyndicate

‘Like’ us on facebook.com/NewsPhotoFeatures

Twitter: @TravelFeatures

WoodenBoat Magazine Contributor Peter Neill to Lead ‘Maritime Tour of England and Scotland’

Borton Overseas will present a “Maritime Tour of England and Scotland” lead by WoodenBoat Magazine Contributor Peter Neill.

The two week program, June 16-29, 2014, will explore the major maritime attractions in the United Kingdom.

The tour will depart New York City’s JFK airport on the evening of Monday, June 16, and guests will gather in London the following evening for a welcome dinner. From there, they will  embark on a journey of exploration, visiting museums, vessels, cities, waterways, and towns for two unforgettable weeks.

The trip’s highlights include:

• The National Maritime Museum in Greenwich
• The newly restored clipper ship Cutty Sark
• The Royal Observatory
• The Historic Dockyard in Portsmouth
• The Steamboat Museum at Lake Windermere
• The Scottish Traditional Boat Festival at Portsoy, Scotland

The Tour Host, Peter Neill, is past Director of the South Street Seaport Museum, New York, and former President of the Council of American Maritime Museums and the International Congress of Maritime Museums. Presently he is Director, World Ocean Observatory; Chair, Ocean Classroom Foundation; and frequent contributor to WoodenBoat on maritime heritage subjects. He and his wife, Mary Barnes, have been the Group Leaders for prior WoodenBoat travel programs in Norway, Denmark, and The Netherlands.

For details, visit http://www.bortonoverseas.com.

For more travel features, visit:

www.examiner.com/eclectic-travel-in-national/karen-rubin

www.examiner.com/international-travel-in-national/karen-rubin

travelwritersmagazine.com/TravelFeaturesSyndicate

‘Like’ us on facebook.com/NewsPhotoFeatures

Twitter: @TravelFeatures

LondonTown Contest: Win a Free Two-Night Stay at a Go Native London Apartment

LondonTown.com has teamed up with Go Native Apartments to treat one reader to a complimentary two-night stay at one of their London properties. Providing an alternative accommodation option, Go Native Apartments have properties in many popular London locations including Hyde Park, Paddington, Chelsea, Canary Wharf and Aldgate. With fully equipped kitchen, living and dining areas, the luxury serviced apartments, studios and suites provide the freedom to relax and cook during your stay.

To have a chance of winning the complimentary two-night stay, answer the following question: How many acres does Hyde Park cover?

Send your answer to competitions@londontown.com by midday on Saturday 30th November with ‘Go Native’ as the subject and your full name, postal address and contact telephone number within the body of the email. The winner will be selected at random and will be able to choose the date and location of their stay (subject to availability).

For visitors who prefer a traditional hotel stay, London hotels for all budgets can be found and booked on LondonTown.com.

LondonTown.com is a leading Internet site for London. With over 18 years of experience assisting visitors in finding inexpensive London hotels, sightseeing tours, ticket information and events. Visit http://www.LondonTown.com.

For more travel features, visit:

www.examiner.com/eclectic-travel-in-national/karen-rubin

www.examiner.com/international-travel-in-national/karen-rubin

travelwritersmagazine.com/TravelFeaturesSyndicate

‘Like’ us on facebook.com/NewsPhotoFeatures

Twitter: @TravelFeatures

Virgin Vacations’ ‘4-Star London-Downton Abbey’ Tour Features Private Champagne Reception at Highclere Castle

Following its sold-out summer departure, Virgin Vacations has added two special fall “Four Star London with Downton Abbey” tours, each featuring a private cocktail reception at Highclere Castle, where the hit television series was filmed.

The 7-day tour includes round trip flights on Virgin Atlantic to London, 5 nights’ First Class hotel accommodations, transfers, breakfast daily, one dinner, sightseeing, a private cocktail reception at Highclere Castle, travel by motorcoach, and the services of a tour manager throughout. Three nights are spent in London, with two nights in Bracknell, close to Highclere Castle in the center of Berkshire County, an area favored by the Royals for its scenic countryside.

Departure dates are September 16 and October 31, with per person prices from New York beginning at $2,289 and $2,329 respectively. Miami departures cost $2415 for September 16, $2513 for October 31; while Los Angeles costs $2544 and $2505 respectively, and San Francisco is $2694 and $2529.

Highclere Castle Private Benefit Reception

Highlighting the tour is a private cocktail reception at Highclere, where Virgin Vacations’ travelers will be among guests at a benefit hosted by the castle’s owners, the Earl and Countess of Carnarvon. During the reception, the castle’s public rooms—including the Main Hall, Saloon, Library, and Sitting Rooms – will be open, and guides will be on hand to answer questions. The cocktail receptions each benefit a different charity: Langalanga Scholarship Fund, which provides scholarships to needy children in Kenya, on the September 16 departure; and the Newbury Cancer Trust for the October 31 departure.

Oxford, Stonehenge & Bath, and London Tours Included

In addition to the Highclere Castle cocktail event, the tour includes a post-reception dinner, a full day excursion to Bath and Stonehenge; plus a morning in Oxford, visiting Christchurch, the grounds of Oxford College, and the countryside where parts of “Downton Abbey” are filmed. The tour also features a morning sightseeing tour of London via a vintage bus, with the Tower of London and a Thames River Cruise; plus a free day in London for individual pursuits.

Booking

Virgin Vacations advises travelers to book early in order to assure a place on the tours. Prices are per person, and based on double occupancy. Airline taxes and fuel charges are included.

For more information and to book the special Downton Abbey fall departures, visit http://www.virginvacations.com, phone 1-877-740-4302, or see your travel agent.

Virgin Vacations offers a wide selection of escorted tours, river and sea cruises, and independent packages worldwide, available with or without air fare on Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Australia and Virgin America, as well as other international airline partners. Virgin Vacations travelers can enroll in Virgin Atlantic’s Flying Club or Virgin America’s Elevate frequent flyer programs, and earn points.

For information on other worldwide destinations available through Virgin Vacations, visit www.virginvacations.com. As a member of the U.S. Tour Operators Association, Virgin Vacations protects travelers’ payments up to $1 Million through the USTOA Travelers Assistance Program.

For more travel features, visit:

www.examiner.com/eclectic-travel-in-national/karen-rubin

http://www.examiner.com/international-travel-in-national/karen-rubin

travelwritersmagazine.com/TravelFeaturesSyndicate

‘Like’ us on facebook.com/NewsPhotoFeatures

Twitter: @TravelFeatures

Ice Age, Pompeii Exhibits at British Museum, Propaganda at British Library Draw Crowds to Bloomsbury Area of London This Summer

Renowned for its literary associations, the Bloomsbury area of London boasts three first class cultural institutions – the British Museum, the British Library, and the Wellcome Collection – all of which are putting on a series of exhibitions, talks, tours and events which draw hundreds of thousands of visitors to the area this summer.

A highlight of the cultural calendar in London 2013 is the British Museum’s exhibition on Life and Death in Pompeii and Herculaneum.

Items which have never left Italy before are included in this British Museum exhibition which continues until Sunday 29th September 2013, bringing to life the daily routine of the Romans who were caught out by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79. Related events include ‘Up Late in Pompeii’, a special late-night event on Friday 10th May 2013 which will allow visitors to have a night out in the Bay of Naples complete with Roman food and forum debates.

One of two blockbuster exhibitions currently at the British Museum, equally as intriguing as Life and Death in Pompeii and Herculaneum is Ice Age Art which brings together sculptures, figurines and engravings made in Europe from 40,000 to 10,000 years ago, placing ancient masterpieces alongside modern works of art. The exhibition includes fascinating stone, bone and ivory sculptures and continues until Sunday 26th May 2013.

Added to these are smaller, free exhibitions including In Search of Classical Greece, on display at the British Museum’s Print Room until Sunday 28th April 2013, and Bubbles and Bankruptcy Financial Crises in Britain Since 1700 which continues until Sunday 5th May 2013.

To the north of the British Museum, the British Library hosts a major summer exhibition ‘Propaganda: Power and Persuasion’ which begins on Friday 17th May and continues all summer long until Tuesday 17th September 2013. Among more than 200 exhibits on display are propaganda leaflets dropped on occupied territories during WWII, Nazi propaganda, posters, films, cartoons and everyday objects including bank notes and badges.

Related events include a talk by Alastair Campbell on Friday 17th May, a late-night party on Friday 7th June 2013 with music by DJs Alexis, Al and Felix (Hot Chip), a debate on ‘The Art and Business of Persuasion’ between advertising legend Trevor Beattie and PR guru Mark Borkowski on Monday 1st July, and an appearance by former US Presidential candidate Mike Dukakis on Tuesday 6th August.

The British Library’s ongoing ‘Murder in the Library: An A-Z of Crime Fiction’ exhibition, which ends on Sunday 12th May 2013, indulges our addiction to detective stories and includes the original manuscript of the Sherlock Holmes story ‘The Retired Colourman’ by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

As part of Britten 100, the London-based festival celebrating the centenary of the great composer, The British Library presents Poetry in Sound: The Music of Benjamin Britten (1913-1976) a free exhibition in The Folio Society Gallery, from Friday 31st May to Sunday 15th September 2013 exploring the poetic and literary influences on Britten’s work.

Just seven minutes’ walk from the British Library, The Wellcome Collection remains open to the public throughout the GBP17.5m building project which begins this summer, due to be completed in summer 2014. Improvements include creating 30 per cent more gallery space and doubling the capacity for public events as well as adding a new restaurant.

In the meantime, the Wellcome Collection’s spring/summer exhibition of Japanese Outsider Art, Souzou: Outsider Art from Japan, continues until 30th June 2013, showing more than 300 works in a huge diversity of mediums by 46 Japanese artists.

Insects are celebrated in the Wellcome Collection’s ‘Who’s the Pest’ series of events in April and May including an Insects Au Gratin Installation (Tuesday 23rd April 2013 to Sunday 5th May 2013) and a debate on ‘Who is more of a pest?’, humans or insects?

At the Bloomsbury Theatre comedy is a strong suit and this summer is no exception. Highlights include two nights hosted by Robin Ince, best known for presenting the BBC radio show The Infinite Monkey Cage with physicist Brian Cox, on Friday 10th and Saturday 11th May, and Stand Up for Women starring Michael McIntyre and hosted by comedian James Mullinger on Monday 13th May.

In May, Olivier award-winning choreographer and director Peter Schaufuss comes to the Bloomsbury Theatre for the first time with his Hamlet inspired dance drama (15th to 24th May). And June brings the inaugural London Student Drama Festival on Wednesday 19th June, drawing on the theatrical talent at four well respected London universities (UCL, King’s, SOAS, LSE).

One of the more quirky events but still very much a part of spending summer in Bloomsbury, The Chap Olympiad is a celebration of buffoonery and sporting ineptitude. While dates and details of this year’s event are yet to be confirmed it typically takes place in the summer in Bedford Square Gardens, Bloomsbury.

Looking beyond summer to autumn, the Bloomsbury Festival takes place from 15th to 20th October 2013 offering an innovative arts, community and cultural programme at venues across Bloomsbury.

If you’re planning to visit London this summer keep track of all the latest events with LondonTown.com where the latest information on all major London museums, theatres, art galleries and festivals is provided.

The LondonTown.com team assist in finding cheap London hotels, sightseeing tours, ticket information and events.

http://www.LondonTown.com

For more travel features, visit:

www.examiner.com/eclectic-travel-in-national/karen-rubin

http://www.examiner.com/international-travel-in-national/karen-rubin

travelwritersmagazine.com/TravelFeaturesSyndicate

‘Like’ us on facebook.com/NewsPhotoFeatures

Twitter: @TravelFeatures

Tickets on Sale for BBC Proms 2013, Two-Month Music Festival in London Featuring Musical Firsts

Tickets are now on sale for the 2013 BBC Proms, a two-month festival in London featuring 92 concerts  and many musical firsts including Daniel Barenboim  first time conducting Wagner’s Ring Cycle.

For those who want to attend the 119th BBC Proms season this summer, opening at the Royal Albert Hall on Friday, July 12. now is the time to book a London hotel.

In a series of firsts, this will be Barenboim’s first time conducting Wagner and it’s the first time the complete Wagner Ring Cycle will have been played at the Proms in one summer, with four concerts performed in the week beginning Monday 22nd July. Barenboim’s concerts are not the only Proms events marking the 200th anniversary of Richard Wagner’s birth, and there are also significant anniversaries for bicentenarian Giuseppe Verdi, and the centenary of Benjamin Britten.

The 2013 festival will be the first in Proms history to have the last night conducted by a woman. Marin Alsop, a New Yorker who has spent time in the UK including a stint as chief conductor of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, is joined by mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato, violinist Nigel Kennedy and the BBC Symphony Orchestra for the rousing Last Night of the Proms on Saturday, September 7, 2013.

It was also be the first Proms to include an ‘Urban Classic Prom’, to be broadcast on BBC Radio 1 and 1Xtra, which will combine music by the German modernist Hans Werner Henze and the Soviet futurist Alexander Mosolov with performances by singers Faser, Laura Mvula and Maverick Sabre. The first BBC Radio 6 Music Prom, on Monday 12th August, will also appeal to a younger audience with Cerys Matthews, Laura Marling and The Stranglers all performing live at the Royal Albert Hall.

The 2013 season brings the first ever free main evening Prom with the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain and youth choirs from the UK and Ireland performing Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, also known as the ‘Choral’ Symphony, on Sunday, August 11, 2013.

Many well-loved Proms favourites return to the festival in 2013 including the Doctor Who Proms which makes a third visit to the Proms in the year that the BBC television celebrates 50 years on our screens. Nigel Kennedy returns and not only plays on the Last Night of the Proms for the first time but also plays at the Proms in the Park on the same night as well as playing in a Late Night performance of Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons on Thursday August 8.

Leading concert pianist Stephen Hough performs on the First Night of the Proms, on Friday, July 12, when the festival opens with a 450-strong choir, and the premiere of Julian Anderson’s Harmony performed by the BBC Symphony Orchestra.

Every Prom is broadcast live on BBC Radio 3 but with tickets starting from GBP5, and with such a huge variety of music to choose from, the best way to enjoy the events is by going in person to experience the unique atmosphere of the Royal Albert Hall.

Tickets are now on sale and the season opens on Friday July, 12 2013.

To find out the best events in London this summer go to LondonTown.com where a host of useful information is given including the latest listings for opera, classical music, dance and ballet. With over 18 years of experience, the website is the place to go to for informative and unbiased reviews on everything you need to know about the UK’s capital city.

LondonTown.com is the number one Internet site for London. With over 18 years of experience assisting visitors to the capital, they pride themselves on their customer service and editorial independence – no advertising or paid for content is allowed. The LondonTown.com team assist in finding cheap London hotels, sightseeing tours, ticket information and events.

http://www.LondonTown.com

For more travel features, visit:

www.examiner.com/eclectic-travel-in-national/karen-rubin

http://www.examiner.com/international-travel-in-national/karen-rubin

travelwritersmagazine.com/TravelFeaturesSyndicate

‘Like’ us on facebook.com/NewsPhotoFeatures

Twitter: @TravelFeatures