Trip to London 8-Aug-2010

05:45 train to London then tried a new route to the Olympics site: bus 205 from the front of Kings Cross, along City Road and on to Bow Church. The pace of work at the site is stunning.

Next I went to this year's Serpentine Pavilion by Jean Nouvel – a huge red tented cafe in essence. The Wolfgang Tillmans exhibition next door was good – some very striking works. [review]

The Fleming Collection had on the Scottish Summer Exhibition, with some fine works but all at high prices.

Next I went round the corner to the Marlborough Gallery for the Paula Rego exhibition but it's closed August Saturdays (contradicting its web site). The exhibition was previously at the Foundling Museum.

Then on to the RA for the Summer Exhibition (some good stuff, as usual the architecture room being best). The Sargent & The Sea exhibition was as good as I thought it would be. [duff Grauniad review, accurate Telegraph one] - I bought the book of the exhib.

In Covent Garden piazza there was a huge crowd around the opening of the new flagship Apple store. The snaking queue cheered each time someone emerged with a purchase and there was a stills photographer taking each person's pic. In the NE of the piazza there was a secondary queue. [review]

Diagonally opposite Holborn station is the new Metro Bank, which looks very bright, spacious and smart, a refreshing change of image.

Near Holborn Circus, Ye Olde Mitre was specially open as it's GBBF weekend. Good to see no changes, other than a much-needed refurb of the loos.

Next it was bus and train to Dulwich Picture Gallery for the Wyeth Family - their first UK exhib. since 1987 at the Fitz. Sadly there was no book of this exhib but 1987's was available.

On the way to Dulwich the ticket barriers at London Bridge refused my zone1-6 Travelcard so I had to use an Oyster card instead. What's that all about?

I stopped off at Borough Market, which was still heaving at about 4pm. As I left Anna Maxwell Martin pushed past on her bike. I see she's soon to be in a new Andrew Davies adaptation.

I stopped off at the JDW Crosse Keys before finsihing at the Barbican for Surreal House – an entertaining angle on surrealism at home. There's also a John Bock exhib. - essentially ensembles of stuff in pods sticking out from walls and ceiling.