Trip Report: London Off the Beaten Path in 8 days
 

I always find Fodorites and their trip reports very helpful when planning my trips, in addition to being fun reading and dreaming for the future. So I’m sharing my experiences in London and hope that it will be interesting to those who know London and useful for anyone planning a trip. I arrived in London on Sat, Nov 9 via Eurostar and left Mon, Nov 18. Be forewarned, it’s lengthy since I find the details and impressions in other people’s trip reports helpful.

BACKGROUND: I’m a mid-60’s solo traveler and this was at least my tenth trip to London. I like to travel off season due to fewer tourists, lower prices and cooler weather. I stay in apartments since I’m sightseeing from 9 am to about 5 pm and just want to eat dinner in the apt and read, relax, plan the next day, etc. Before I decide on an apt, I figure out what I’m going to be doing so that I can stay in that general area plus I check the tube stations in that area since I take public transportation all over. I ended up staying in Islington in an Airbnb apt that averaged $200 per night for a one bedroom apt.

Also, I’m not a foodie. My reason for traveling is to explore, feed my history craving, learn new things and just absorb…so I leave at 9 AM and don’t get back home until 5 or 6 PM. I’m exhausted from sightseeing all day, so I eat dinner in the apt while I rest and recharge. I’ve started trying to have a “nice” lunch most days so that I get a dining experience without going out at night.

Day 1, Sat, 11/9: Grey and 50’s
I arrived in St. Pancras station at about noon via Eurostar following a 9 day trip to Paris. The apartment I rented wasn’t going to be ready until 3 PM, so I decided to have a leisurely lunch the St Pancreas Renaissance Hotel. The hotel is a Victorian train station which has been restored (and updated in certain area) but in general is very evocative of the latter half of the 19th century. They have a restaurant in the lobby (The Hansom) but that was busy and modern with low sofas and tables. On the other hand, The Booking Office 1869 restaurant was gorgeous – amazing architecture, brick & stone, soaring ceiling, palm trees, wood paneling, etc. Tables were nicely spaced, seating was comfortable and the vibe was relaxing. I had such a great time sitting there listening to conversations on either side of me, enjoying the food and looking at the soaring arches. I had cheese tortellini which were rich and delicious; then I even had crème brulee for dessert because I needed to use up more time – I never have dessert in restaurants! The staff was attentive, but not pushy and made me feel welcome. The only fly in the ointment was two mid-40”s American businessmen who were quite loudly talking about the promotion one of them had been promised and then didn’t receive and the intelligence of the new leadership team. They were next to me and had just begun their meal, so I asked the maître d’ if I could move to a table in the next section and he quickly accommodated my request. The rest of my stay was peaceful and I enjoyed the bits & pieces of overhead conversations from the politer tables near me (grandparents with their grand daughter & her boyfriend and two couples with their young children).

I also had a positive experience with the London Transport visitor information office since I had to update my public transportation card (Oyster) and do some other logistical stuff; I came in thinking I wanted one type of card plan but the man asked some questions and explained that the other option would save me money (I ended up getting the one week visitor plan which allows for unlimited travel on tube and buses for one week) and I added about £20 to the card after it expired. The clerk took a lot of time with me and was very helpful.

I took a bus to my 1 bedroom apartment in Islington, located off Upper Street near St Mary’s Church; it was equi-distant between two tube stations: Angel and Highbury & Islington, plus many bus stops. Most of the activities I planned to do were in East & North London, so it made sense to be in that area (plus it was a good price!)

I found the apartment easily but once I got inside, things went downhill quickly. It was dirty, and I was trying not to be picky but hairs in the bathtub, water spots all over the shower door, hair and crumbs all over the sofa, food debris in the fridge….. and I couldn’t figure out how to turn the heat down or lock the entry door and the TV didn’t seem to work and I nearly went over the edge:mad:. This is one of those apartments where you get the keys from a lock box and there’s no live person to show you around; I’ve stayed in apartments with that set up before & it’s been fine. And when I called the support team for Airbnb, I got someone in a call center who was clearly reading from a script and trying to pacify me every five seconds which of course only sent me further over the edge. I ended up being impatient and worried that I would either have to stay in a dirty apt or figure out a hotel for one night and hope I could resolve it the next day (Sunday). Airbnb’s site gives you an option to escalate this to Airbnb directly (versus the “host”), so I did that too – figured I might as well as have two sides working on this. Long story short, they arranged to have another cleaner come to the apartment within an hour and when she arrived, she immediately said the apartment had never been cleaned before I arrived. The good news is that between the cleaner and the support people plus me calming down once she arrived, I decided that I’ll live with the heat (it’s on a timer but I opened a window as needed), I figured out the TV, the cleaner showed me the trick to locking the door and she did a great job cleaning. So it all ended up fine and to Airbnb‘s credit they reacted quickly and professionally to my repeated messages about filth and being unacceptable (I was on a roll). I also was gratified to know that I wasn’t nuts and being super picky – it WAS dirty!!

Once the cleaner got started, I asked if she was OK with me going out for 20 mins or so to pick up something to eat; she was fine. So, I went to the Sainsbury Express around the corner (literally, about 3 mins away) and was happy to find a pre-made chicken with sweet corn sandwich on brown bread. People in America who haven’t experienced the quality of these pre-made sandwiches sold at supermarkets, M&S and Boots don’t know how good they are. They’re fresh, inexpensive, filling, and available in lots and lots of flavor combinations. That and a pastry for dessert made me very happy; after she left, the apartment was sparkling clean.

Oh, I am following along. I would have been just as upset as you about a dirty apartment ! We are headed over the first of February.

Looking forward to this -- and the same sorts of details as your Paris TR.

After an unfortunate but not as bad as your's sounds I have firmly decided to avoid airbnb. I still stay in flats (though less frequently than in the past I'll only book through full service agencies with on-site or at least local reps

"The only fly in the ointment was two mid-40”s American businessmen who were quite loudly talking about the promotion one of them had been promised and then didn’t receive and the intelligence of the new leadership team. They were next to me and had just begun their meal, so I asked the maître d’ if I could move to a table in the next section and he quickly accommodated my request."

That same thing happened to me at lunch at the Michelin starred Seven Park Place "Only slight hiccup - they sat me next to a table of five thirty-something men -- one wearing a backward ball cap -- none of whom had a indoor voice (and they were't even Americans LOL- one Brit and the others sounded mostly German and eastern European). They were really annoying and I quietly asked if I could be moved to a different table -- no problem."

janisj - what apt agencies have you been happy with? I've had good experiences with the Paris agency I use so it would be great to have a recommendation for London ones.

Day 2, Sunday, November 10: Grey and 50s
I wandered around the neighborhood a little bit and I liked it; it’s definitely got that Brooklyn vibe of gentrification and well off people with lots of cafes, bistros and coffee shops. Wandered into the local church – boy what a change from the French ones! The interior was plain but I chatted with a parishner about the area.. Back on the street I got to talking to a lady on a bicycle and she told me that there was about to be a Remembrance Day parade (Veterans Day) so I hung around. It was mostly groups of young and younger people marching in a pseudo-military uniform (like Reserves or a pre-military club); two military-ish bands; about six veterans; Girl Guide and Boy Scout troops. At the local green, there was a wreath laying ceremony which was attended by a good sized crowd. I wish I had a poppy to wear.

Took the bus way across town to Sambourne House and Leighton House museums near Holland Park. Both are late 19th century homes of artists but are very different! Sambourne was decorated in the style of the era, which meant covering every square inch of wall and floor space with paintings, oriental porcelain, pen and inks, stuffed birds, etc. So much to look at! Each room has detailed explanation boards and there are volunteers who are eager to share their knowledge. Sambourne was a famous illustrator for Punch magazine and he planned ahead for his illustrations by staging photos in his back garden which he then used as templates for general shapes, gestures, etc. There are a number displayed with the subsequent Punch illustration which was interesting to see. Really fascinating house. You can buy a discounted price joint ticket for same day admission to the Leighton House which is less than 10 mins walk away.

Oh, I forgot - walking from the bus to Sambourne House I passed the High Street Kensington Farmers' Market in Phillimore Walk and thought twice and decided to go there first. It looked appealing from afar and although I wasn’t going to buy any farm goods, I like to mingle with the locals and feel like I live there. Well, it was great! Some farmers markets look like the vendors have brought the goods in from a mass producer, in another words, they don’t look like they are made in small batches by a one-man show. This one definitely did and was interesting because they had a variety of vendors: butchers, cheese maker, bakers, honey and jam people; farmers with produce; and two stands with prepared foods. Naturally I was tempted so I bought a cinnamon bun and five lemon cookies. Then my eye was caught by a vendor selling meat pies that looked like they had really good crusts (I watch so many Food Network cooking shows that I feel like I know all about puff pastry, rough puff, short, cold, & lard). But I haven’t figured out how to use the oven/microwave in the apt yet, so I was hesitant to buy something that would have be reheated; I asked the guy about a ham and chicken pie, which looked wonderful, stuffed full of meat and the crust looked good; he said it should be served room temperature – you don’t heat it because there’s so much fat in it that it would just lose all shape and stability. That sealed the deal and I bought a piece for my dinner.

Then I was walking past a food stand with grilled sausage and big fat burgers with grilled onions. Looked good and smelled good and I thought why not? So I bought one and sat on the garden wall in the middle of the food market to eat it and chatted with the woman next to me. It was really good, wow. It’s unusual to eat food that actually makes you sit up and take notice of the flavor but this did; I’ve had some other items on this trip that did the same.

After my successful people mingling, food purchasing, and lunch I finally arrived at the Sambourne House which I enjoyed puttering through. Lots to see, used one of those great portable folding seats and read all the info in each room. Leighton House was only 10 minutes away and a free volunteer-led tour was starting which I joined. The decor is astounding! Very ornate house featuring a lot of Oriental, eastern decor, including 6000 or so Syrian tiles (think Turkish blues); a fountain; a stuffed peacock; and many of his paintings as well as his friends' paintings. I didn’t like any of them, but the art of that era doesn’t appeal to me although I like the décor, furnishings and architecture. The exterior is so modest that the interior is a real surprise. The tour was interesting but there are detailed information boards in each room, plus a docent so you can easily wander on your own and learn about this man and his art. His actual studio was interesting to see due to the size, height, windows and furnishings. It was a cool, grey and slightly drizzly day so I did not explore the garden but it looked appealing.

I took a bus back to the apartment which went through the middle of London and I was so glad that I am not staying anywhere near there or doing anything in that vicinity – there were mobs and hordes of people, Ai yi yi. (It was a Sunday of a 3 day weekend). I ate my ham and chicken pie since it had been at room temperature all afternoon and it was super tasty. The chicken had a good roast chicken flavor and the ham tasted like ham. The crust was good but the meat was the winner.

Side note: Because the TV is a smart TV with access to streaming channels but not land channels like BBC, CNN, etc, I quite happily watched the recent seasons of the Great British Bake Off; I also watched multiple episodes of Four in a Bed (competition between B&B owners) and Come Dine with Me (competition for home cooks).

Tomorrow: two self guided walking tours of the East End of London, Monet exhibit at the Courtauld, and a West End show

Day 3, Mon, November 11: Watery sun that turned to full sun and 50
Today I wanted to explore the East End of London which I did but it ended up falling flat. I had printed out self guided walking tours produced by the Tower Hamlets Council; the first walk was along the Thames Path in the Docklands area, from Westferry DLR station to Island Gardens DLR station and the second walk was within Poplar, from All Saints DLR station to Limehouse DLR. (I knew about Poplar from the TV show “Call the Midwife”.)

Unfortunately, I don’t have good experiences with self-guided tours since the maps/directions are practically impossible for me to follow. I get nervous that I’ve missed the turn or I actually do miss the turn, and I’m so busy trying to follow the map on my phone that I’m not looking around at anything…so I ended up cutting both of them short.

The Docklands area was heavily bombed in World War II and then very poor quality housing was thrown up quickly. But in the 80s (I think), a tremendous building boom began by commercial real estate developers putting up huge, huge office buildings right along the Thames. They probably got the land very cheaply at the time and they hired well known architects to design noteworthy buildings; buildings followed more buildings, followed by housing, followed by shops, etc. After some financial difficulties, the area exploded a bazillion times. This has become the financial center of London - there are something like 120,000 people working in the docklands area each day.

It started out as a nice walk along the river, looking across at a few old warehouses on one side, the Shard, Walkie Talkie and other notable skyscrapers on another side and water taxis zipping along the river. But then the walk cut inland and I was just walking along a street with skyscrapers on either side (like a canyon of skyscrapers), which was not that interesting. So I decided to give up on that and move on to the Poplar walk. That was a whole different scenery and vibe, but not terribly unappealing to me. Naturally, there’s very little left of the Midwife era buildings. It seems to be a solidly middle or lower middle class area with a heavily Eastern population - most of the women were wearing hijabs and the Chrisp Street Market was selling a ton of Halal food and men’s clothing that look like long tunics. I stopped in an Emmaus charity shop and bought a good condition Ann Cleeves paperback for 50p (that was a crazy cheap price; in Hampstead & Islington, the paperbacks at Oxfam were 3.50!!) My walk took me through a very local neighborhood where real people lived, but there was nothing to appeal to me from architecture, history, parks/gardens, art, etc. I wandered into a church which was a very stoic style and checked out the local library. I walked past schools with teens in uniforms acting like teens anywhere. At the moment it was disappointing but in hindsight, it was an interesting window into a neighborhood I wouldn’t normally run across.

I decided to have a late lunch somewhere nice to fill in time before my 4:00 Monet exhibition ticket at the Courtauld Gallery and headed toward the Strand. I went into St Mary le Strand church because it was right across from the Courtauld and their door was open. 18th century, very ornately decorated ceiling (white marble carved or molded like flowers with gilt centers), wood carvings on doorways and pulpit (which to be honest didn’t strike me particularly noteworthy, I’ve seen more and of a higher quality in other churches this trip); but gorgeous shades of blue stained glass windows in the apse which were installed following Blitz bombings. What was interesting though was another visitor to the church who was talking to the reverend and was saying something about he wasn’t just a random tourist but he had a connection to the church and he explained something about maybe a father or grandfather during the war? I couldn’t hear everything but I did hear him mention a special stairway that this relative had told him about and the reverend said “oh of course, it’s not normally open to the public but I’d be happy to show you” so he opened a “private” door and off they went; they reappeared up by the organ and had a long conversation. Curious about the whole story but alas, I only know a snippet.

I was looking for place to have lunch and there were lots of nice hotels nearby, including the ME London, which was the same chain where I had a delightful lunch in Paris - Melia. They had three restaurants and I chose the Italian one, Luciano, over the steakhouse or sushi place. It's practically across the street from the Courtauld Gallery so convenient for a relaxing, fine dining meal. The restaurant is bright and spacious, large windows and a vibrant floral wall design (not chintz flowers but tropical and jazzy). Comfortable chairs and tables spaced nicely apart from each other. There were many appealing menu options but since I didn't have a huge amount of time before my timed exhibition ticket, the waiter recommended fettucine bolognese as the fastest entree which was fine. Intriguing and elegant decor; comfortable upholstered chairs, and attentive service.

The Monet was definitely worth seeing - the sign at the front indicates they’re sold out until January 19 so I’m glad I got a ticket. There were two rooms with 20 of his paintings of the Thames river at various times of day and from slightly different positions. I’ve seen some of these before in various museums but to see them together enabled me to compare the colors from the different days and to pick out small differences like barges, etc. Some of them I liked and some not so much. Apparently, he stayed in a hotel room along the river with a balcony which he painted from; but since the sun and fog shifted so quickly, he he didn’t finish a painting at one sitting, but worked on multiple ones and then took them back to Giverny to finish them. Practically all of the paintings at the exhibit were loans from other museums or private collectors – can you imagine the logistics involved in pulling all that together? Although the exhibit was busy, people moved around so there was room to stand back from each painting to absorb it; each room had benches so you could sit and wait for a gap in the crowds and compare the paintings side by side. I visited their permanent Impressionist collection, which was impressive for a smaller museum since all the big names were represented, including good old van Gogh (who I’m going to see on Wednesday). They had a small gallery devoted to the Bloomsbury Group which reproduced a study from their country house (Charleston) with accurate wall furnishings, paint, rugs, mouldings, paintings & photos by members of the Group and china ware/house items from a short-lived company they created. I stayed until they closed (very good gift shop with a wide range of goods and prices).

Once again, I had time to kill before my next event, which was seeing a new production of Oedipus so I went back to the same hotel and sat in their lobby/bar. Two different groups of Italian businessman were meeting with American businessman; it was funny because the lounge was darkish and very sophisticated with low leather seating and modern sculptures – not a place I would’ve thought for a business meeting, but possiblu there aren’t that many places where you sit undisturbed and discuss theoretically confidential business matters. Anyway, it was interesting for me and very kindly the hotel staff didn’t bother any of us to buy drinks. (I was going to the theater and knowing how long the lines are for the ladies room and you can’t really get up once you’re seated, I couldn’t have anything else to drink!)

Of course, I got lost on the way to the theatre and had to ask multiple people - so frustrating 😡. But at least I didn’t have much time to wait before the curtain rose😁. It was a great production – two big stars, Leslie Manville and Mark Strong who I knew from watching so many British. It’s gotten rave reviews from London and New York press so again I’m fortunate I got a ticket – my seat was high up in the Grand Circle but was only £62. Anyway, the play has been updated to current day about the family secrets revealed for a political candidate. Many years ago I read Oedipus but didn’t remember any of the specifics and didn’t brush up because I wanted to experience it anew. Extremely well acted and once you figure out what the big secret is, you’re waiting for it to be revealed, which was very well done.

So it was a successful afternoon and evening after a very full & long day! Took the tube home and since it had been a long time since lunch I stopped again at Sainsbury Express for my favorite chicken (or tuna) with sweet corn on brown bread.

Tomorrow: Silk Road exhibits at The British Museum and British library

Enjoying this and looking forward to more!

Some of my faves have left the business -- but Ivy Lettings and Farnum Christ are two long established agencies - FC tends to the pricey end of things

Vickiebypass, You sure get an A+ in my trip planner book for pre-booking special events and yet leaving plenty of free time for serendipity. That Oedipus production sounds delightful--I wonder how Mark Strong and Lesley Manville had time to breathe because I swear they appear in everything I watch.

I agree with you on the difficulty of solo self-guided walks. I'm lucky in that my youngest always loved to read aloud, so whether it was just the two of us or more, she was more than willing to be my "audioguide" as we navigated those walks. I don't know how I would have done it myself.

Of course, I'm dripping with envy here with all the art you are getting to see, especially the Monet and London exhibit. I count myself lucky that in 2005, my daughter and I were able to drag my museum-averse sister to the Monet Turner Whistler exhibit when it showed in Paris, and like you, I was grateful to the organizers for all the groundwork for mounting that major exhibit. I had probably seen most of the works at one time or another over the years but seeing them together packed a punch. Another special exhibit I really liked, also in Paris, was a side-by-side Van Gogh and Millet one at the d'Orsay. Even though that one was staged in 1998, I STILL can remember it vividly.

So happy the apartment situation was rectified. As my husband always says, I go "cray-cray" in dirty apartments, and I'm sure your on-the-phone conversations about it were far more logical than mine would have been.

Looking forward to the next installment!

Day 4, Tue, November 12: Sunny, breezy and low 50’s
It was a perfect fall day! One of the great things about London is their plane trees along most streets, sometimes long rows of them. (I gather they’re very hardy for city environments.) They have huge leaves and when they fall, they make a carpet of yellow on the sidewalk. I love scuffling through them. The colors, the crinkles, and the smell of those leaves is so autumnal.

Bus to the tube and then a 10 minute walk to The British Museum. It’s in an area of London called Bloomsbury and I stayed there for a week 10 years ago; it’s a cool area. Because you can never have too many pastries, I researched great bakeries in London before I left and particularly Swedish ones (I like cardamom). Handily, there was one on the way to the museum, Fabrique, so stopped in and spent about $15 on 3 pastries - some people would say I’m nuts but then they might spend money on wine so it’s whatever is worth it to me😁

The British Museum is a world class museum, and like many huge museums, I think the best way approach is to select one or two galleries per visit. In prior trips, I’ve done their Highlights tour in which each guide selects their “highlight” items, so it’s different each time. Although the purpose of this visit was their Silk Roads special exhibit, I signed up for one of their daily free “eye opener” 30-45 mins tours of specific galleries led by a curator who talks about some of her favorite items. I chose a Japan tour which ended up being very good. Initially I was getting irked because she talked so much about one item that I thought “how are we going to see everything” but I told myself to shut up, be patient and actually listen and think about what she was saying….and of course I learned stuff. 🙄 For example, there was a full height folding room screen and another half height one so I asked her if the shorter one would’ve been placed on a table since it was so low. And as the words left my mouth, I realized that in Japan, they sit on the floor so a half height screen would be fine. She agreed and I said how hard it is to sometimes change your way of looking at things but that’s the value of her presentation. Since they didn’t have many of their Japanese prints on display, she explained how I could request them from the print collection and that the print curators love to show these items. That would be a cool thing so I’ll keep it in mind for another trip to London.

Unfortunately, I was not blown away by the Silk Road exhibition since most of it consisted of written documents and pottery; I may be a Philistine, but I’m bored by those. The place was MOBBED. Crowds like that annoy me in general because most people stand very politely in a line waiting for the person in front of them to finish reading each item’s description and then move along. I won’t do that and I’m sure people probably thought I was very rude, but I flitted between cases seeking out the ones that didn’t have a line in front of them or if there was a line I ignored the line and lurked behind a few people who were in front of the case. I can assess pretty quickly if I’m interested in the case and get the gist of it, a la “old paper written in an antique language” or pottery shards.

Having said all that, I did take away two points that I never knew - there were multiple silk roads, not just one since traders travelled the entire width of China, up-and-down from India and through what are now the Stans. The Vikings even got involved - man, they were all over the place pillaging and looting. Also, all of these trading routes enhanced the spread of religions, particularly Buddhism, but various others also. It seems the Roads were tolerant places.

Excellent gift shops at the BM with a huge range of items and prices. Bought a Japanese woodblock calendar and a tea towel. I would have had lunch there but all the restaurants were full. It is quite an impressive building and the educational offerings (multiple daily free tours), lectures, etc are high quality.

Walked over to the British Library for their two exhibits: Silk Road Oasis and Medieval Women in Their Own Words. Again, I was not thrilled by the Silk Road Oasis exhibit; the concept was that they focused on one very large town that was at the center of many trading routes, but again it was a lot of written documents. To me, the quantity and quality of items displayed was the same as at the BM exhibit and this was not as crowded but still did not grab me.

On the other hand, the Medieval Women in Their Words exhibit did interest me, and yet it was almost all written documents too. The focus was on bringing to life the experiences, stories and voices of women from the middle ages. Although many of the women featured are from the elite ranks of society: queens, princesses, noblewomen and nuns, women from lower ranks are also reflected. The material is displayed by themes: Private Lives, Public Lives, Spiritual Lives. Being a library, it makes sense that most of what they have is written: letters, legal documents, recipes, medical guides and sometimes as educational. The folks who designed the exhibit did a good job with creating cloth hangings, showing women in various roles, and having women read from these documents. There were a number of books of hours which have wonderfully illustrated decorated pages; some medical guides written for doctors to help them treat women; various legal documents like wills, marriage contracts, land deeds that usually include illustration. There were very few people in there so I could stand in front of a case as long as I wanted. They did a very good job with the actual method of highlighting the exhibit’s theme – cloth hangings, audio recordings of documents, music and an interesting introductory video which incorporated ghost-like figures of the individual women along with readings of their words.

And as a building and center of learning, the British Library was intriguing - full of people using it for research in special rooms; tons of people working at laptops (I don’t know if they were doing anything related to the library or if it was just a handy spot to work); and always, a book focus - the whole center of the new building is glass, many stories high, and you can see shelf upon shelf upon shelf of old books. Had lunch in one of their cafes; don’t remember what I had but it was fine. Kudos to them for a huge, well-staffed FREE cloakroom (had to pay at the British Museum), water fountains and lots of toilets.

Tubed home and had yogurt for dinner along with my Swedish pastry.

Tomorrow is the van Gogh exhibit at the National Gallery and a walking tour of Hampstead village.

Nice trip report. I like that you went to the farmer's market near Kensington High Street. That one is really good. For people in the area on Saturdays, there's a market in the Fox Primary School just south of Notting Hill Gate that is good too.

Thanks all for following along!

janisj - At one point, I looked at Farnum Christ and was shocked at the prices but I'm more willing to spend for comfortable settings now. I'll check out Ivy Lettings too.

Tulips - someone I chatted with at the Kensington High Street market mentioned the Notting Hill one and said that many of the same vendors go to both. I'll make a point of visiting them next time I'm in London (and will plan to buy more).

Day 5, Wed, November 13: Sunny and low 50’s
Another lovely fall day! Walked around the apt area (Islington) a bit to reach a different tube station. I have to say, this is my kind of neighborhood - clearly upper middle class since there are so many bakeries, coffee shops, jewelry, tea, decorators, etc. I passed a poster on a church gate for classes to learn Japanese sword handling! And one for Argentine tango. And there’s an ex-town hall that seems to have all kinds of events. Making mental notes for a possible longer term stay.

Anyhoo, tube and bus to the National Gallery for Van Gogh. It’s sold out for months but even though it’s quite busy, they’re very organized so with a timed entry ticket I only waited about eight minutes and chatted with the ladies behind me. In all museums in London and Paris - and probably everywhere in the world - you have to go through security checks of your bags; I’m fine with that, but it can slow things down although the process today is very efficient. Some folks who I chatted with here in London all said how mobbed the exhibit is and that you can’t even see the pictures, etc. But I didn’t find that to be the case. Yes, there were a lot of people, but they were spread out enough in clusters that you could make your way to the front and study the brushstrokes (which I love to do) and then move out of the way and study the painting from a distance. The free guide they hand out at the exhibit entrance was great – a numbered photo (black & white) for each artwork and the same description as on the wall plaque, so you don’t have to get up close to read the plaque, you just stand back and read about it from your guide. Very smart and it keeps the flow moving in the galleries; plus it's a nice souvenir.

I like listening to the people around me, who are more informed about art than I, discuss his usage of certain colors or brush strokes or perspectives, so then I looked at the painting from that angle. Specific things that interested me: He did not stick with one or even a few color schemes; from painting to painting the colors varied widely. And his brush strokes also varied widely: sometimes they were almost Monet like (dappled) and other times were the short, deeply impressed paint daubs, with the big swirly strokes. And to think that most of these were painted in such a short period, so he switched styles from painting to painting. I actually would have bought the exhibit catalog except that it weighs a ton and I’ve already bought enough stuff (for stuff, I mean chocolates and shortbread cookies; although I did buy an advent calendar where behind each door is a photo of a famous artwork and a 2025 calendar of Japanese prints). So I bought a pack of postcards of works from the show and will make my fridge door a display site for a different work each month and I’ll study it each time I open the fridge. 😁.

Took an easy tube ride to Hampstead for a guided walking tour with London Walks. I've been taking walking tours with this company for 20 years; as with any guided walk, the leader is critical and sometimes you get ones that are better (or more in sync with you) than others but they are all knowledgeable. I think their walks are a great way to learn about specific neighborhoods or themes (e.g. the Blitz, Marylebone, etc). The Hampstead Village walk was led by Richard III (there are 5 Richards who are leaders) which was great. I particularly enjoyed it because we did a fair amount of walking, versus standing in one spot for 20 minutes while the leader talks. It's an area that would probably be difficult to do on your own since you wouldn't know what streets to walk down, where to turn or what you're looking at. He had a wealth of background information about the history and inhabitants which helped paint a picture of the area through the ages. He didn't seem to appreciate questions - I guess because sometimes they interrupted his flow but it was a great walk. At the end, he offered suggestions for places to eat and transportation options

This is another trendy, Brooklynesque area; expensive shops, cafes, galleries, homes. Didn’t notice much diversity here. It is amazing that within minutes of walking away from the tube station it’s quiet and peaceful. Tremendously expensive area to live in; various celebs live/lived here: Harry Styles, a Spice Girl, Russell Brand, and more. The buildings are mostly made of brick, generally 19th century. It’s up high, so you have a nice view of London; back in the day, people came to Hampstead for the waters and then it just became the place for wealthy people to live outside of the city. Just skimmed the edge of the actual heath which was a shame but there was a lot to see. Oh – you may remember from the old Mary Poppins movie (with Julie Andrews) that there was a house built like a ship with a cannon that shot the hours – it’s a real house and we saw it!

After the tour, I stopped into the Oxfam near Hampstead tube station to look for used books but they were expensive - $4. Bah humbug. I paid .60 for a book in a charity store in Poplar yesterday!! Guess it’s all about the neighborhood you’re in and what the market will bear. But on principle, I won’t spend that amount of money for a used paperback. So there.

As it was only 4:30, I decide to go into a pub just around the corner from the tube, The Flask, and rest for a little bit before taking the tube home. I had a cider and fried chicken skins, which was one of the snacks on offer. They’re good but super salty; it’s funny that pretzels have never made it big in Europe. I always say that if I was on a deserted island and could only bring three things, It would be books, pretzels, and pizza. When people say what’s your perfect day? I say a good book, a bag of pretzels and a soda. So you see my theme. No supermarket sell pretzels here; unless they’re some weird sesame pretzels in the gourmet section. I could make a killing and become the pretzel queen of the world 🥨👸🏻

Tomorrow: National Portrait Gallery

Thank you again for all the details, and it's given me a great idea for an important family event. I suspect I can drag my husband to London for his 80th birthday without too much difficulty, and so much of your report would be up his alley.

Re Van Gogh: I hope you're read the biography of Johanna van Gogh-Bonger by Hans Luijten. I was so excited when it was first published, knowing that her role in bringing Van Gogh to the world was generally unacknowledged for decades, only to find out that it had yet to be translated into English. The 2022 translation, Jo Van Gogh Bonger: The Woman Who Made Vincent Famous,
hefty reading as it is, was worth waiting for. I'm wading through all the letters between the brothers now.

Thank you for such an entertaining and thoughtful trip report. London is a couple of hours away by train for me, and yet we rarely go these days. Think I spent too long there for work purposes and have forgotten what it is like as a tourist.

You are clearly a fellow reader, although I tend to just read non fiction these days. There are numerous books on London but here are some that I have particularly enjoyed, and can recommend to you to enhance further trips.

London, A Travel Guide through time by Matthew Green
London Clay by Tom Chivers
Ghost Trees by Bob Gilbert
A Mudlarking Year by Lara Maiklem
The Secret History of our Streets by Joseph Bullman
Derelict London by Paul Talling

Pretzels? Horrible things! Only ever see them when I get on a plane for a flight to America or Canada. I recall my daughter buying some in a Mall in Florida which came with a vivid yellow dip. Cheese I assume.

Looking forward to your report on the National Portrait Gallery - LOVE that place!

AZ and Morgana - thank you, thank you for the reading recommendations! Re: Van Gogh, I remember from years ago a movie about Van Gogh, called "Lust for Life", starring Kirk Douglas which was based on the bio by Irving Stone. I picked up the bio at a thrift store but realized that there's been much new research and more authoritative bio's so I'll look for the Jo Van Gogh Bonger book. The London books have been added to my "Books" list; the mudlarking one struck a chord since that idea is so intriguing. I took a walking tour of Regents Park a couple of years ago and the leader was a certified mudlarker and showed me his license from the City. I also was in contact with a man who leads solo mud larker expeditions but it was fairly costly and I had other things planned, but after perusing your book suggestions I may re-visit mudlarking.

Day 6, Thu, November 14: Grey, breezy and 50
I’ve always enjoyed the National Portrait Gallery and today was no exception. They have a nice way of displaying portraits in themes; they’re still chronological but instead of showing every portrait they own from a given decade, they select works to show based on themes, like “heading toward the wars” or “inspiring people.” I love that approach because it keeps thing fresh and makes me think.

I particularly enjoyed these two themed galleries: Self-portraits and Death/life masks. I like getting my art in manageable doses so I can focus on it and these were the perfect size. I've always thought that I thought I preferred portraits with interesting background details, clothing, accessories, rather than just a straight-on, person-only portrait. But now I recognize that in some cases a straight on, person can be captivating, depending on the artist. I only went to the 20th century and forward galleries because all of those Tudor, Renaissance and medieval works leave me cold. The NPG commissions six portraits a year and they had a video discussing how they choose the subjects and that the subject and the museum decide together which artist to offer the commission to; I hadn't thought in terms of the NPG requesting portraits - I thought their collection grew solely by donations and acquisitions of existing artwork.

There were two that struck me particularly: the portrait of Judi Dench was very large, a head to toe view (I think it was life-size since she’s about 5’1”) and she was standing at ease, wearing regular clothing with nothing in the background. The video with the artist said that he didn’t know how to approach her portrait and when he spotted her in the lobby of the NPG waiting for their initial meeting, he watched her and decided that he wanted to paint her just like that, unaware and relaxed into her body, as he said “like she was waiting for a bus”. Unique and I thought effective. The other one that intrigued me was a video portrait of David Beckham, the soccer player and husband of a Spice Girl. He was taking a nap after a training session for his football team, Real Madrid, and the artist filmed him for over 100 minutes asleep on his side. First of all, I was intrigued at how many facial expressions he made, small ones, but they were there; and then the various reshuffling of hands - under the face, over the shoulder. Small shifts of the body sort of a resettling into the pillow. I watched for about 20 mins and left with two thoughts – wow, he has beautiful lips and facial structure and I wonder if everybody makes lots of expressions when they sleep? I know I move, but the facial movements surprised me.

Oh yes, another gallery that really stuck in my mind: in the Death and Life masks room (another small area), there was a glass box with a big red and black mottled head in it. As I walked into that gallery, a museum employee was giving a lecture to a group of women (I got the impression that it wasn’t a random bunch of tourists but maybe this is a club or museum supporters because they seemed to know each other). I parked my little folding chair some distance from them and looked at the other exhibits keeping my ears tuned into what she was saying. Then they moved closer to the area where I was and the museum person and the women apologized for invading my space and I said no problem, is it OK if I listen and they said sure. So it turns out the red and black head is made of blood and frozen in this glass case at -16°C. The artist (Mark Quinn) made a mold of his head and then drew 10 pints of his blood over long period, which he froze. When he had enough and the mask was finalized to his satisfaction, the blood was poured in, it was frozen and voila! He makes a new one every five years to show the changes in his face due to age. Apparently there are five that exist, mostly in private collections, one owned by the Saatchi gallery in New York and the NPG owns the other one. The museum lady said because there were so few and they were all out of the country, the NPG felt it was very important that they purchase it since he is a member of the YBA movement (Young British Artist). He had a big head for a pretty short guy. It was a bizarre thing to see and think through but all types of materials are used to make masks - wax, plaster, bronze, resins… so I guess this was just one more ingredient (and a great way to shock the art world and the whole world, which many of those YBA artists love to do; I’m pretty sure Damien Hurst is an YBA too).

I went to their fancy restaurant, The Portrait Restaurant, for lunch. It’s on the top floor and had amazing views of the skyline; initially, they gave me a crummy little table against the wall, which I was going to take, but the chair was uncomfortable so I asked if I could have an upholstered bench seat and they said sure. The food was OK (butternut pumpkin gnocchi with Toulouse sausage ragout and a 4.74 bread & butter basket) and it was expensive but I figured I’m paying for the view, the upholstered seat and a chance to relax 😁. Oh, and the two men next to me really entertained me with their conversation about their marriages and the “intimate but not sexual friendship” one was having with a work colleague. They were concerned discussions and each wanted out of the marriage, but either were told no or afraid to ask. :wow: Who would have thought that's what I'd overhear?

It was mid afternoon and I was heading to one of my favorite museums, the Imperial War Museum. I go most times I’m in London but it’s been eight years or so and they’ve redone all of their exhibits, descriptions, etc. So off I went but when I got off the bus near Elephant & Castle, I felt slightly dizzy so I thought maybe I need sugar and I went into a corner store (what we would call a bodega in NYC) and bought two candy bars and a soda. You may be shaking your head & thinking “for a smart lady, sometimes you can be pretty dumb” and you would be right. In hindsight, I should’ve bought a bottle of water and maybe some crackers. But I chugged down the soda and the candy bars; the dizziness went away, but now I felt sick to my stomach🤢. It didn’t improve once I was in the museum, and although I tried to power through, and the exhibits looked fascinating (I even spotted two exhibits about the role of Papua New Guinea in World War II which really interested me due to my visit there), I gave up and came home.

I think the rich lunch and the soda and two candy bars on top of it were just a bad combination because I felt fine later that evening. I usually keep a protein bar in my bag, which I forgot so that would’ve been a good solution along with a bottle of water. I try to drink enough water when I travel, but depending on what I’m going to be doing that day, it’s difficult because you need to make sure you’re going to have bathrooms nearby.

Tomorrow: Museum of the Home and cycling show

I feel as though I'm interrupting the flow of your superb report, but I just have to tell you that I found a video that would probably give immediate expansion on what you just saw at the Van Gogh exhibit. It's one that expands on Jo's amazing mission in life:

( I particularly like the narrator's reference to a Dr. Who episode)

Back to the biography...
I liked wading through all the tremendously tedious details about all of Jo's passion for the art because how this very intelligent woman, relatively uneducated in terms of the art world and always stifled by social constructs, achieved the impossible fascinated me.

Things like the book and movie "Lust for Life" and that horrendous book "The Secret Life of Sunflowers" may have caught some of Van Gogh but missed so many other important things.

And I think we have to acknowledge what so many accounts never did: her Theo, the brother of Vincent, died of the last stages of syphilis. It was not pretty.

Always looking forward to more of your journey,
AZ

I too don't wish to interrupt your flow, but regarding mudlarking do look at Lara Maiklem's short videos on Youtube. As well as being an excellent writer she is very good at showing you what she finds.

The movement and insurance of works of art between museums is a fascinating industry. How do they manage damage, swopping of a painting for a fake or just a painting becoming known as fake while in transit. This used to be very difficult, but, I kid you not, there is an app for it, though access is expensive.