Today we explored the National Portrait Gallery, well, there's no way we saw everything, we zipped through the National Portrait Gallery. It sort of overwhelms me that there are enough portraits of important British people to fill up an entire gallery. We commented on how so many portraits of certain time periods, all the people looked alike. We also wondered how many people really looked like their portrait, or was the painter being kind. One guy whose name I can't remember had a black bandage to cover a scar on his nose. Wouldn't the scar have been a lot less noticeable than this big black gash across his nose? And why didn't he have the artist just paint it out? I don't get that. I examined the picture of King George lll; he didn't look like such a bad guy. We've always learned how mean and nasty he was, I guess I expected him to look like the devil or something. Some of the portraits are so massive; we wonder how anybody could get the people to sit still that long. One picture was monstrous, it was some other guy I can't remember, his wife and their five children. I don't believe for one second those five little ones stood still for any amount of time. Maybe that's why they all look alike. . .
We also saw some really great photographs. There is an exhibit of Black Film Actors that is awesome. There are people who have been actors for years, and some just starting out, and they are all in different clothes and poses and attitudes, but all of the pictures are looking right at you. It was incredible.
After that, we went to lunch, and then back to St. Martin-in-the-Fields for a lunchtime concert. This very young guy, not even 20 yet, played the harpsichord. I was fascinated by the harpsichord and actually wanted to look at it much closer but a big crowd gathered around it and I think some part of it hit the floor. I heard a big crash. I wrote myself a note to figure out the difference between a harpsichord and a piano. The man next to me kept taking pictures, even though the paper said not to and the lady at the beginning said not to. I was getting irritated with him. The teacher in me wanted to make him stop. His wife was studying her map of Harrods's the whole time. I'm not even sure why they were there. One time the man fell asleep, I think. He certainly did the whole head bobble thing that happens when people fall asleep in church.
After that, we went to the British Library, after a quick trip to King's Cross for a group picture at Platform 9 ¾. As we walked up to the British Library, the massive statue outside caught my eye first. Then I noticed, thanks to Andrea, Anne Frank's tree. It is a tree planted in her memory, and to the memory of children everywhere who die in wars. I think I got a picture of the tree, I know I did of the plaque. We went inside and explored a bit. It is a massive building, and we went first to the exhibit, Treasures of the Library. This was the coolest thing ever. We certainly did see some treasures. I looked at the journal of Captain Cook, from his trip on the Endeavor, where he landed in Australia, and Admiral Nelson's logbook of HMS Victory, from October 21, 1805. I also spent time looking at a Gutenberg Bible and one copy of the Magna Carta. There was a letter from Florence Nightingale, and Lewis Carroll's diary. There was a whole section on lyrics from Beatle's tunes, and Mendelssohn's sheet music from the "Wedding March." It was just incredible. We wandered around some more and just saw so many things. It was just incredible. The whole building is unbelievable. It was a fantastic day.
Tomorrow we are going to the Avebury Stone Circle, and to Lacock and Salisbury. I'm hoping for no car or bus sickness.
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