Backstory: I was fortunate to have a cash windfall last year and decided to earmark it for a trip. I planned this as “slow travel” to re-visit two cities I love, see places that have become touchstones and to visit for the first time places I had always meant to see but hadn’t. I also left time to stroll around and see what popped up and looked interesting.
Part 1: London
Getting to London:
Afternoon arrival in London on October 5 after flying on Delta from Portland, Oregon with a connection through Salt Lake City. Had a super-fast arrival process at LHR – the plane landed just before 2pm and I had my bag, passed through the arrival E-gates and was on my way to the taxi queue by 2:35.
New to me on this trip:
I noticed that Pam and others in the Forum recommended the Timeshifter app to help diminish jet lag, and I tried that for the first time. I thought it was helpful -- by my second day in London the usual woolly-headedness that plagues me after flying to Europe was mostly gone. In part the quick adjustment may have been aided by the sunshine and warm temperatures in London. I probably got more exposure to sunlight and more exercise than usual after arriving. Still, I will use the app again, and have recommended it to friends.
The Wallace Collection was hosting an exhibit called “Portraits of Dogs: From Gainsborough to Hockney.” Perhaps not everyone’s cup of kibble, so to speak, but I loved it, especially Landseer’s “Dignity and Impudence” and Queen Victoria’s drawing of her terrier named Podge. I was less interested in the arms and armor exhibits at the Wallace but lingered in the room with the Turner and Bonington watercolors and with the displays of Italian ceramics. The Wallace also has a very pleasant café which makes an excellent flat white.
Continuing in smaller museum mode, I visited the Courtauld Gallery. The Courtauld has several paintings in the permanent collection that I had long wanted to see, and as a bonus, a special exhibit called “Art and Artifice: Fakes from the Collection” was on as well.
On another day, I spent a good amount of time at the recently remodeled National Portrait Gallery. Unfortunately, the exhibit of Paul McCartney’s photographs I had wanted to see closed a few days before I arrived in London, but I wandered happily through the various galleries which were not at all crowded. Highly recommend!
Familiar delights:
I always visit Kew Gardens when I’m in London, no matter what time of year. I love the plant houses and the quiet and sense of tranquility that comes from strolling through the garden at a leisurely pace. The excellent weather continued on the day I was there, and the garden was busy but didn’t feel overcrowded. When I was over in the part of the garden that borders the Thames and has a lovely view over to Syon House, (another favorite spot, though I did not visit on this trip) I did not see another soul.
I saw Ian McKellen’s one-man show when I was in London in 2019, and was fortunate on this visit to see “Frank and Percy,” with McKellen and Roger Allam. (Another of my favorite British actors.) The play was at The Other Palace theater – a perfect venue for this two-man show. It’s small, with raked seating so no matter where you are, you have a decent view of the stage. McKellen and Allam were both great (no surprise!) – and I can only hope I have as much energy and stamina as McKellen when I’m 84, as he is now. Bonus on this day was having a delicious lunch at Nopi, the Ottolenghi restaurant on Warwick St.
(to be continued)