Weather forecast was not looking encouraging so this being a museum/gallery day was a good decision. We opted to split our day with Di doing the morning session whilst Fras did the afternoon session. We can’t really leave Toque on the boat on her own as we would return to find the police having broken into the boat to rescue the dog that sounded like it was having its throat cut repeatedly. It’s a chance for each of us to catch up with emails and electronic postcards.
Firstly though, we wanted to show you how stealthily we have purloined some Wi-Fi from the Kupp coffee shop across the canal. We downloaded a couple of programmes on canals that Wolfgang’s son had purloined off the dark web and they were large files. Not sure why they do not have a password on their wifi site?!
Anyway, back to today. Di caught the tube into Trafalgar Square as she wanted to go to the portrait gallery. There was the BP 2019 winners on the display which were a little too funky for her though one picture had to be looked at very closely just to make sure it was an oil painting and not a photo. Her main interest was the Victorian gallery. As coincidences would have it, 2019 is the 200th anniversary of both Queen Victoria and Prince Alberts birth. We are both enjoying the Victoria series and it has been enlightening to do further research from this programme into many of the characters surrounding the Queen during her reign.
After her morning of culture she ventured outside the gallery to find the heavens had opened with a vengeance and hence took refuge in a few souvenir shops. Then she got herself lost eventually finding her way to Piccadilly Circus.
The rain had magically cleared out the crowds but filled up the shops so she made her way back to the boat successfully. It is so much harder travelling when you need reading glasses as anything you want to do such as take pictures, read maps on the mobile or paper versions takes much longer. There is also the disadvantage created as you are an easy target for non-savoury types. Pickpocket signs are everywhere and even though we have a very secure backpack, because you are slower at everything you feel vulnerable. We know from past experience that even those of us who think we are savvy travellers, get rolled!!
Playing tag back at Ange De L’Eau, Fraser headed out to the British Museum. Alas, he found all the wet tourists in the museum which didn’t overly excite him.
He spent a few hours wandering around having a look at a lot of the collections.
His general comment on his return was the museum had a serious hoarding problem and someone needs to get in there and do a thorough declutter.
His first suggestion was to return the Elgin Marbles which would be a good start. It is the most extensive collection of ancient stuff and makes most men’s shed look pretty second rate. Now you know why we don’t do museums very often. We are more into science and technology museums and modern history stuff – nothing more than 200 years old. Then of course there are the canals which is a 200 year old living and working masterpiece!
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