National Gallery

Wednesday 27 December

This morning I looked out of the bathroom window to see a few white flakes falling from the sky. There were only a few and they turned back into drizzle very soon. So our day started much colder and damper than it’s been.

When we caught the bus to Trafalgar Square it didn’t matter that we missed out on the front seat, as you couldn’t see out anyway. The windows were wet on the outside and fogged up on the inside.

Trafalgar Square

Our destination was the National Gallery. A lot of people had the same idea today, but we managed to see some lovely art just the same. Rob was very put out at the cloakroom charge of £1.50 per item. It was worth it to me to get rid of my enormous coat. I noticed that most people were carrying or wearing their coats. They must have been very hot!

Crowds near the sunflowers

The highlights for me were the Impressionists. The crowds were particularly dense round such favourites as Van Gogh’s “Sunflowers” and Monet’s “Waterlilies”. Here are a couple that I liked.

Snow scene at Argenteuil - Monet

Men of the docks - George Bellows

A wheat field, with cypresses - Vincent Van Gogh

After the gallery we found one of Sian’s recommended watering holes, “Gordon’s Wine Bar”. We nearly missed it as there was a sign on the door about Christmas closures and it looked very dark. However the sign actually said that they would reopen today, and if you went down the stairs in the alley you discovered that it was not only open but packed with people.

Gordon’s Wine Bar

Mistletoe

Home again on the bus, dinner, and then I ended the day brilliantly by dropping my iPad on Rob’s glasses and breaking the frames. I’m desperately hoping that Specsavers can sort them tomorrow.

After the rain. The Christmas tree comes from Norway.