The weather was stormy, Olivia is behind in her homework, the little girls were crabby, and Laura wanted to study for her upcoming course so at Laura's suggestion Scott took a day to himself to wander London. My chosen destination was the National Gallery--the enormous art museum right in the heart of London. That's it on the left. The Church on the right is St. Martin in the Fields. Both overlook Trafalgar Square. The gallery is one of the largest art collections in the world. As you wander from room to room, it's just overwhelming to see one piece after another which you have previously been familiar with from art books and posters. The names of the artists are a who's who of the great painters: Van Dyck, Caravaggio, Holbein, Turner, etc. I barely scratched the surface, focusing mainly on art from 1250 to 1700. I particularly liked the Spanish collection with its life-like, detailed portraiture. I also enjoyed the special exhibit on Faces Of the Renaissance, which I got to see on its last day in London. Almost as good as the pictures is the architecture of the gallery itself. The rooms are amazing, and they go on and on and on. Best of all, the price to visit, as with most of the really big museums here is free.
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