All of my adventures, even the small ones, have a certain amount of mishap. So even just popping over to Chiswick House for the After Dark exhibit came with its own set of challenges. First off, we chose to do this on the evening of Thanksgiving, for which we were having a few guests. Second, we decided to do this at 5:30pm, when the event opens. The sky was beautiful, the weather pleasent and the traffic abominable.
Of course we came out onto Duke's Avenue on the wrong side of the expressway, so we needed to join the traffic to the round-about, then head back in the correct direction.
Finally we arrive at the parking lot for Chiswick House, where the car in front of us appeared to be heading toward fisticuffs with the parking attendant. When our turn arrived, we realised why the kerfuffle. The lot was closed and we had to move on.
Joining the traffic once again, we took the next left and found a space in resident's parking about mid-way down the road. As I said, it was a pleasant night so the walk to Chiswick House was nice and it was so good to have the whole family together again.
These niceties ended when I could not find our entry tickets. My little one in a helpful mood, ran back to the car to find the tickets. Once she was out of sight, I found the tickets in my bag, had an 'oops' giggle, and sent the middle one after her. This whole thing had now put us behind schedule and now I was feeling the pressure to get in there, get through the installation, and get home.
But once we were inside, all that angst went away and I could just relax, enjoy the lights and music and the joy of being with my family on Thanksgiving (and my birthday).
The following is write up of After Dark at Chiswick House from after-dark.co.uk
"At the heart of the After Dark experience is a trail of contemporary lighting installations that weaves an enchanting night walk through the award-winning Chiswick House Gardens.
A particular highlight, will see Chiswick House turned as the canvas for a light show set to a bespoke and exclusive track curated by singer and songwriter of Kasabian, Sergio Pizzorno.
Serge's classic score, inspired by electronic music, will be played as the backdrop of world-renowned lighting designer, Nick Gray's brand new vibrant light display, which will see classical architecture meet modern technology."
“After Dark | Chiswick House & Gardens.” After Dark | Chiswick House & Gardens, www.after-dark.co.uk/.