Last Days in London

Photo by Benjamin Davies on Unsplash

 Our art adventure culminated in London, where Shirley took us to two fascinating exhibitions. First, we visited the Saatchi Gallery's British Art Fair, featuring modern and contemporary art. I hope I'm not disappointing some people by not showing some of the truly beautiful works there. The artwork was all for sale, too, but sadly over our budget. But one collection that I wish I could have bought was that by William Nicholson, the illustrator who created the prints in the original Velveteen Rabbit book by Margery Williams. That book, about how toys become real, has always been a personal favorite. 

William Nicholson print of the Velveteen Rabbit

However, can you believe it--when we returned home, I received an original sketch of the Velveteen Rabbit! No, it wasn't by Nicholson, but it was by another of my favorite artists--Kevin!

Kevin's sketch, which he attributed to Charlie Wu. Yeah, right, Kevin!

Honestly, I think that's just about as great as one of Nicholson's sketches.

The other exhibition that Shirley generously took us to was a Van Gogh exhibit at the National Gallery, with more than 60 of his works. It was fantastic! Although we have seen other Van Gogh exhibits, including one in Paris in 2014, this was by far the best.

Sorry that I couldn't get a better photo of "Starry Night Over the Rhone."

Aside from our gallery experiences, we really were a bit lazy when we got to London. We stayed with Shirley in her simply elegant new flat, and we just enjoyed visiting and relaxing.  (I am not including photos of her flat, because those are private.) We also had a wonderful evening with Shirley's brother, Nigel, and his partner, Teresa. They were so warm and welcoming, and treated us to the best Indian food we have ever had! The evening was certainly a highlight.

We had planned to do our usual jaunt in London, traveling to Westminster and crossing the bridge to walk along the South Bank, but the rain interfered. No matter. We took short walks in the neighborhood, which is near Sloane Square. We always enjoy seeing the old red brick Victorian buildings in that area.

 

Not only is Shirley's flat just exquisite, but the garden nearby features Dale Chihuly sculptures. I old Shirley that when she visited us, "We took you to Chihuly's Gardens of Glass, and now you are taking us to London's Chihuly garden of glass." The Chihuly pieces are said to be a temporary exhibit, but they have been there for months.

We finally said goodbye to Shirley on our last full day in London. Our last day was the first day of a trip for two of my nieces, so we met up with them at the Tower Hotel, near the Tower of London. they had quite a view looking out over St. Katherine's dock area, where a replica of a Spanish galleon was moored.

How much fun it was to meet up with Terrie and Laurie in London! I wish we had more time, but we were able to have a meal at the nearby Dickens Inn and take a walk around the Tower of London before rain and their jet-lag set in.

Me with my nieces, Terrie on the left and Laurie on the right.

I must say that the photo above is not very fair to Terrie, however. She is much prettier! (Both Terrie and Laurie are attractive.) But I had on a lightweight raincoat that made me look slimmer, and Terrie had on a padded beige jacket that makes her seem heavier than she is. Sorry, Terrie!

Terrie, Laurie, and Kevin in front of the Tower of London.

Our visit with our nieces was the climax to our London stay. After that, we headed out to a hotel near Heathrow, because we had an early morning flight. It was a sweet end to an interesting, fulfilling, and exciting trip!

Note: I will end the blog with a post reflecting back on the trip. I will post it in a day or two.