Once again, the weather today was good. As we were both very tired,
we decided to have a slack morning and not set the alarm. I woke up
about 8:30am and after morning ablutions, tried to catch up on
journal writing. Having completed the entry for 3rd May, we made our
way into London to see what was happening around the route of the
Coronation Procession. We were amazed at the number of people
already in the area. There were police and security people
everywhere - at least one every 1 or 2 metres of the route. Already,
people had staked out positions along the route - some had even
pitched small tents or marked their position by chairs and ground
sheets. It appeared that some of these setups were not even
occupied! Information regarding public transport was not hopeful.
Some of the stations were to be closed, some would be exit only. We
were warned that stations would be closed at a moment's notice if
the number of people within them was deemed to be unsafe.
This is Charing Cross
(after which the station adjacent is named).
Admiralty Arch under which the procession will pass tomorrow.
The banners read "Happy & Glorious".
Some of the people already lined up along the route of the
procession.
After processing all this information, we made the reluctant
decision that we would not try to watch the procession the next day.
Having made up our minds about that, we decided to visit the National Gallery. We
were not the only ones visiting. We had to line up (only briefly,
thankfully) and go through the security system before gaining
access. The first thing we noticed was how hot it was inside! We
have found that many buildings in England are overheated by
Australian standards. I'm glad I don't have to pay their energy
bills. The building would be worth visiting even if there was no
artwork inside at all. Gallery after gallery is an architectural
delight. So many artists of great renown are represented in the
gallery. We enjoyed viewing works by the likes of da Vinci, Raphael,
Titan, Rembrandt, Van Gogh, Constable, Monet and so many more. Below
are just a few of the hundreds of photos we took. Three hours passed
very quickly.
"The Ambassadors" Hans Holbein the
Younger 1533
"Mystic Nativity" Sandro Botticelli 1500
"Skittle Players Outide an Inn" Jan Steen
c.1660
"Insects with Common Hawthorn and
Forget-Me-Not" Jan van Kessel the Elder 1654
"Insects with Creeping Thistle and
Borage" Jan van Kessel the Elder 1654
"Bouquet in a Clay Vase" Jan Breughel the
Elder c.1609
"Glass Vase with Flowers, with a Poppy
and a Finch Nest" Jan van Huysen c.1720
"The Skiff (La Yole)" Pierre-Auguste
Renoir 1875
This was probably my favourite painting of all! The way the
light is captured is just amazing!
"Sunflowers" Vincent van Gogh 1888
St Martin in the Fields
Trafalgar Square
Elizabeth Tower from Trafalgar Square
Nelson's Column
Nelson
Battersea Power Station - now apartments
and a shopping centre
On our return to our accommodation, we were very
disappointed to find that my camera had been stolen from the
car. As there was no damage, we can only assume that we had left
it unlocked. The car was parked in front of our accommodation so
the staff there will have the security company review the
footage to see if they can find the culprit in action.
Fortunately, I had already saved all the photos from it and I
have been taking most of my photos with my iPhone.
