Shops and Galleries

24 March 2008

Still cold and flurries of real snow! It's hard to imagine that last year was so warm we sat out in the Italian Garden in Hyde Park enjoying "summer" weather. We did some shopping in the morning and in the afternoon split up going to do different things. It's interesting that here we are on Easter Monday and all the shops are open. Virginia remembers when Easter was a sacred event with shops closed from mid-day Maunday Thursday to the start of business the following Tuesday. Shopping, too, is quite intriguing and the economies of scale are very apparent here. Twenty-two million people in greater London is equal to the total population of Australia. It's easy to see why each size of each item of clothing comes in a variety of, for example, arm lengths and leg lengths. We walked about one-eighth of Oxford Street and must have passed at least half-a-dozen major department stores. Nonetheless, with sub-zero temperatures outside, all the go is the summer lines. If you want a winter coat, you will be hard pressed; but you can certainly get a bikini!

We wound up the morning with a quick visit to the National Portrait Gallery where I spent a bit of time looking at the Victorians on display and we had a bite of lunch. In the afternoon, Virginia wandered around the area near Paddington Station and down toward Hyde Park while I returned to Trafalgar Square and visited the National Gallery. The square, even with the crowds and pigeons, is still a wonderful sight. What is the old song?

I live in Trafalgar Square
With four lions to guard me.
Fountains and Statues all over the place
And the Metropole staring me right in the face.
I know it's a trifle drafty,
But I look at it this way, you see,
If it's good enough for Nelson,
It's quite good enough for me.

It was a relatively quick visit but I enjoyed the four El Grecos on display, especially the magnificent St Jerome. I spent a fair bit of time looking at the Impressionists as well before deciding I had had enough and returned to the hotel only ten minutes or so after Virginia.