Day 4: Cranky Ken Staying Local

7/3, National Gallery and Westminster, London

Rough Morning

Chalk it up to time zone adjustment or something else, but I could not fall asleep last night until 2am. Unfortunately for me, my 2 year old alarm woke up at 6:30am. Janine tried to do the kind thing and get Olivia ready for the day elsewhere while I slept in, but there was a severe diaper accident and screaming that echoed through the bathroom and into the bedroom. This awoken the sleep deprived version of myself, who is not very pleasant to be around. This would set the tone for the first half of the day where my patience was short, my words were negative, and my appreciation for fine art was lacking.

We left the flat around 10:00 am and grabbed a quick bite to eat at the nearby Costa Cafe in Leicester Square. Janine got a mocha and I had an Americano, by this point I am beginning to miss my tried and true American brewed coffee. I did, however, enjoy the (British) bacon and brie baguette sandwich.

National Gallery

We left Costa and had a short stroll to our backyard neighbor, the National Gallery. The gallery holds the most comprehensive collection of western art spanning from 1250 up to 1935. They have added a new entrance since we were last there that was a little disorienting at first since we weren’t sure where to start. Once we got reoriented, we made our way to the main gallery and grabbed two audio guides to start the tour. We also used Rick Steve’s guide as well to provide an alternative and more colorful critique of some famous works as well. This would be my fourth visit and Janine’s second to the gallery. Typically, there is always something new to appreciate or fall in love with again whenever I visit the National Gallery. The sleep deprived version of myself, however, struggled to muster much enthusiasm for the works displayed. I did however spend a lot of time in front of Uccello’s “Battle of San Romano” (c. 1438-1440).

The struggle was evident in seeing the work of someone who was so close from breaking the mold of Medieval flat art and into Renaissance perspective, but not quite make it.

Olivia enjoying the art scene

We made it as far as the Baroque era before I had to call it quits. I told Janine we needed to leave so I could eat and nap before doing any more touring. We stopped by a Pret near the gallery and grabbed some lunch and made it back to our flat for lunch. After scarfing down my meal I took an hour long nap and woke up refreshed. After apologizing to my wife for being a jerk, we made our way back to the gallery to finish what we started. It was a great convenience to be able to be so close to the gallery and being able to exercise the option of taking a break.

Returning to the gallery felt like an entirely different experience. Paintings were interesting again and I found myself less annoyed with the increased afternoon crowds. We started the tour up again with Caravaggio’s “The Supper at Emmaus” (1601).

I am a sucker for Caravaggio and this is one of my favorites. The use of light and dark, the uncompromising realistic grit of the faces, and the jutting out hand that seemingly breaks the fourth wall makes me want to spend so much time in awe.

We continued our tour up through the Impressionists. I enjoyed getting a foretaste of Monet and Manet before Paris and made our way out since the museum was closing soon and the increased crowds were starting to freak out Olivia.

The museum itself is a great reminder about Europe’s progress in the arts and sciences witnessed in the development of style of art. It is also a visual representation about how art can reflect the historical mood during that time.

The Westminster Walk

After some family photo ops in Trafalgar square, named to celebrate the great victory against Napoleon’s naval forces by Admiral Horatio Nelson, we made our way down Whitehall towards Westminster.

We took a quick detour so Olivia could see the promised horse guards, but we were too late and all that was left were horse droppings. Afterwards we continued our walk to Westminster bridge with Rick Steve’s audio guide loaded on our phones. Janine and I reached our peak frustration with crowds at this point. There were tourists walking and looking up at Elizabeth Tower (note, not Big Ben) and not at the stroller in front of them. Again, Olivia was freaking at the swarms of people surrounding her and wanted to reach higher ground.

We decided it best to take a break and go to Parliament Square so Olivia could stretch her legs and run around. News crews had cleared out of the square since last week when they occupied it for the post-Brexit wrap up.

After about thirty minutes in the park we began looking for food options (and diaper changing options) nearby. I found a nice mediterranean cafe behind the London Aquarium. Janine and I both got a mixed plate of various kebab meats paired with a sampling of red and white Turkish wine. We absolutely loved the lamb kebab and the staff were really friendly with Olivia.

After finishing our meal, we made our way back to the walk up Whitehall. Its always amazing to think how so much power resided in such a small area during the high of the British Empire and how so many historically significant decisions and events occurred on or near this street.

TL: Elizabeth tower (not Big Ben) TR: 10 Downing St, home of soon-to-be ex-Prime Minister, David Cameron BL: Approx location of Charles I execution site BR: Statue of Churchill, note the lack of bird droppings

Before heading we we stopped by Trafalgar’s Tesco Express for provisions and breakfast items and huddled in for the night. This time I made sure to take some melatonin and get to bed at a reasonable hour.