Our last day in London.
The weather report, of which I am perpetually obsessed, called for an absolute downpour from dawn to dusk.
I even bought an umbrella, an umbrella! This is an outright embarrassment for anyone who grew up in the Pacific Northwest, but yes, I bought a £16 umbrella so of course the sun came out...a small price to pay for good weather, I suppose.
After a light breakfast at The Ivy, we hailed a cab to The Tate Britain museum.
The world’s largest collection of J.M.W. Turner’s work was on display with nine rooms full of the English Romantic painter’s landscapes and stormy seas.
I’m so glad we took the time to see this.
Quietly, we wandered in and out of each room.
One placard explained that Turner’s artwork revolved around travel, or as he, himself, called it, “being on the wing.” That resonated deeply; and doesn’t it have a wonderful ring to it?
We are on the wing.
Leaving the Tate, we walked north past Parliament, through the Horse Guards Palace, around to 10 Downing Street, and doubled back to tour the Churchill War Rooms.
How fascinating to stand in that historical space.
The doors to the Cabinet War Rooms were locked in 1945, the complex restricted and left undisturbed for nearly 40 years until the site’s contents were documented, preserved, and made accessible to the public in the mid-80’s.
I loved the original maps on the walls, the push pins, the old flat files, even the musty smell.
I did not love the elbows from tourists sporting NFL gear, but honestly, I can appreciate that they were there instead of viewing the Taylor Swift: Nightm-eras movie or doing something of equal horror.
We exited the war rooms and immediately found ourselves across the street at a high-top table in The Red Lion pub. The old Charles Dickens haunt was pleasantly packed and we made friends with a few locals, as we seem to do everywhere we go.
Steven then led us past Trafalgar Square to dinner at Rock and Sole Plaice in Covent Garden. The place has been using the same fish and chips recipe for 145 years...add a side of mushy peas and a warm, flat beer...the perfect meal to top off our London experience.
Thanks for treating us so well, London! Much love from your four colonial cousins.
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