Well, we were at the end of our 41 day pet sit so this was the the last post about our time in London. We have had a terrific stay and have made plans to come back again in July 2026. 🇬🇧
We finally made it to the Victoria and Albert Museum (aka V&A). Henry Cole, the V&A's first Director, declared that the museum should be a "schoolroom for everyone". Its mission was to improve the standards of British industry by educating designers, manufacturers and consumers in art and science. Acquiring and displaying the best examples of art and design contributed to this mission, but the 'schoolroom' itself was also intended to demonstrate exemplary design and decoration.
Upon entering, we were struck by the enormous Chihuly chandelier - spectacular! 🤩
We took the 'hidden gems' audio tour to avoid the crowds.
This work by Albrecht Durer got our attention when we were in a gallery to see something else. One side is St Jerome and the other seemed to be a celestial event. This was said to be the first European painting to show such a thing. ☄️
Portrait of Charlotte Cuhrt by Max Pechstein 1910
The Avenue at Middelharnis by Meindert Hobbema 1689
Still Life of Flowers in Glass Vase on Marble Ledge by Rachel Ruysch 1710
The Full-length Mirror by Eva Gonzales about 1869-70 Eva Gonzales by Edouard Manet 1870 (Eva was his student)
Girl on Divan by Berthe Morisot about 1885
Miss La La at the Cirque Fernando by Edgar Degas 1879
Bow Wave by Halima Cassell 2012
La Gorgone (The Gorgon) by Adele d'Affry, Duchess of Castiglione Calonna about 1865
Wing of Foliage - Bend by Muramoto Shingo 2020 Living in the Fog by Aizawa Rie 2024 Tsutsumimono by Tanaka Yu 2023
Seated Buddha from Qing Dynasty between 1736 - 1786
The V&A was another museum with stunning architecture. 📸
We signed up for a tour with a fashion focus with Jennifer as the guide. She showed off a sample hoop skirt lining. 👗
I got so caught up in Jennifer's presentation about this dress that I forgot to take a photo of the details. The decorative 'thread' was not gold but wheat. She said it was a conservator's dream since it did not require any maintenance. The 'seeds' were glass balls filled with white paint. Whew, what an effort! 😅
Gorgeous kimonos. 👘
One more thing - the V&A has 20 volunteer guides who lead the fashion tour at noon daily and they are all different. I look forward to going back and seeing all new things. 👀
A few days before the end of stay, we went to tea at The Langham. It was a very special experience. 🫖
Since we had accumulated a few things since arriving in London (ahem, so many books) and we wanted to travel light for the next few weeks, we found a bag to store a few things. Steve took it to Heathrow to stow in a locker. 🧳
We stayed our last night at hotel across from the station before an early morning train departure (not this one). This former train station (now hotel) was so intriguing that we had to take a closer look. 🔎
The original booking office was a beautiful space to have a drink and a nibble. 😋
Just outside the hotel was the new St Pancras station which was the location for Eurostar international train departures from London. 🚆
We were due to leave this station the next morning to meet up with Steve's cousin and her husband in Utrecht. They were traveling up from Wiesbaden just outside Frankfurt. Our holiday itinerary was:
Utrecht Netherlands for 4 days Hamburg Germany for 4 days
As mentioned above, we enjoyed our stay in London so much that we already have plans to return in July 2026. If anyone has a line Wimbledon tickets, please let me know. 🎾
