Week off day 5 - back to London

 Day 5 but I had a day at home so  post 4.  I decided last minute to go to London to visit the newly re-opened National Portrait Gallery.

I got the tube from Victoria to Westminster, and before I walked up to the gallery snapped Big Ben quickly... 

couldn't keep the traffic out of the shots

then it was round the corner and a short walk up Whitehall  (this is the HMRC building) 

the Cenotaph

Downing Street behind the gates 

statues from the War - Montgomery

 

Haig

Horseguards 

approaching Trafalgar Square, Nelson, still on his column!  

the traffic was mental!  

roadworks. Admiralty Arch  leading to the top of the Mall was closed to traffic

it wasn't as hot as yesterday (yet) and the sky a bit grey..

waiting to cross the road to Trafalgar Square, it was evident I wouldn't be able to walk through it as normal 

It was being set up as a fan park for a MLB game that's being played at (I think) the Olympic stadium (now home to West Ham)  tomorrow.   

from the steps of the National Portrait Gallery

the website encourages you to pre-book tickets (it's free, apart from some specific exhibitions) but they also have turn up access which is what I was doing.

It only re-opened yesterday after a major re-fit, it's been closed for about 3 years I think

it wasn't as busy as I thought it would be - although I was fairly early

I have been inside before, and do remember this gorgeous tiled floor 

I didn't take many photos inside, although you are allowed to

got to love a bit of Monet 

Georges Suerat 

I really liked this one 

there were lots of names I didn't know!

obviously Van Gogh,  there was a crowd round this with some people taking selfies of themselves in front of it.....

Charles I by Van Dyke

Vemeer  ( I watched a documentary about a Dutch Vemeer exhibition being set up recently, it was fascinating)  

Leonardo da Vinci

took this on the phone as they keep the room extra dark to avoid too much light exposure so the camera wasn't happy

hopefully you can read this explanation about the painting

after that I didn't take any further photos but just wandered through the rooms 

over the stairs down the the lower gallery and cafe

explanation

back outside I walked round the other sides of Trafalgar Square -  these are on the 4th plinth (the statues on this one change every now and then, but I couldn't get in to find out what it was about)

another view of the second fountain - they were testing the sound system and there was lots of bustle!

I left them to it and found the way through Admiralty Arch 

at the far left side 

from the other side 

no idea what they're doing!  

it did mean that the far end here of the Mall was empty of traffic so I could look down towards Buckingham Palace

looking across Horseguards Parade - the London Eye in the background.

they were still taking down the temporary seating from the recent Trooping the Colour  so there were barriers up and I didn't bother going further this way

I went into St James Park that runs alongside the Mall and bought a cup of tea and sat on the grass to drink it (no spare benches and there was shade from a tree)

walked down The Mall to Buckingham Palace - it's not far -  

flags up on the flagpoles 

the roads round the Victoria Memorial are wide, and normally full of traffic, but they had barriers up all along the way with only occasional gaps at traffic lights to cross... much safer, but means you can't just dash across!

as I waited at the lights to cross the road, i took a photo of the end of St James Park, it's very green and pretty

having negotiated the road I walked the short distance to Buckingham Palace

Victoria Memorial gleaming gold in the sun

the last time I was here was of course September just after Queen Elizabeth died, but there were no TV crews this time to catch me! 

I decided I had done enough walking this week so crossed back over the road and took the route back to Victoria Station - it's only about 10 minutes

I paused here and there for some modern architecture (which unlike our  new King I quite like) 

and there I was at the station

huge departure board, it's been upgraded since I was in London in September

I had just missed a train (story of my life) but the next one came in and I could find a seat till it was ready to leave.

Thanks for looking, again!  a short trip, with not many photos for a change!

Saturday tomorrow which only means one destination!!