London Day 2

A full day. We started late, waking up at 10:30. After breakfast, we headed to the National Portrait Gallery. In the rain. Welcome to England.
We started in the World War I exhibit, with portraits of the archduke Franz Ferdinand, and a photo of him moments before he was shot. There was the mug shot of Princip the shooter. It continued with colonels, lieutenants and generals, as well as ordinary pictures of the grunts actually fighting the war. Many of these were done by William Orpen. A portrait of Churchill when he was naval commander. He was in some scandal at the time and was typically scowling for the portrait.
We continued into the history of England with the Tudors Stuarts and others. Various Henrys, Edwards, Anne Bolyn, Elizabeth I, etc. Some even earlier stuff of Richard III. We tried to take a tour but because it was Easter there was none today.
Lunch at our favorite London restaurant, Pret, then on to the British Museum. It is near the West End theater district and we tried to get tickets for something for tonight, but nothing looked half decent.
In the British, the new exhibit was Anglo-Saxon findings. Swords, helms, and other fighting gear, as well as pottery, jewelry, and utensils. There had been a big find of a burial site at Sutton Hoo with many great artifacts. This reminded me of Westeros.
We continued into the 14th to 19th centuries, with ceramics, paintings and other artifacts. The Lewis chess pieces were exhibited on a board. We happened onto an exhibit of part of the Waddeson Bequest of Baron Rothschild in 1898. Dozens of fabulous ceramics, jewelry and other objects. Ann found the Jewish content in many objects- the picture of Moses and the Burning Bush, the Seder plate (described as a plate depicting the plagues). All these were in ONE room (the New Smoking room), and there was a picture. Certainly the .001%.
We didn't see the standard stuff (Elgin Marbles, Rosetta Stone, Egyptian mummies etc). We never saw any of the other temporary Viking exhibits or the Indian Ganesha exhibit.
Exhausted, we tubed back to the hotel, and ate at a local Italian chain, Zizzi. Ann had a hanging skewer of veggies and shrimp; I had pasta.


Stephen J. Rockower, MD
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