National Portrait Gallery

Wow, am I tired today! We set off first thing this morning, thinking we'd do a walking tour of the Embankment/Charing Cross Road area with a quick stop at the National Portrait Gallery, and maybe even get to the Museum Theatre, hahahahaha.  We walked from the Embankment tube stop, down by the river, past the Charing Cross tube stop (just one block or so away) and stopped in at St. Martin-in-the-Fields.  Looked through their gift shop and soaked in the atmosphere, and continued just across the street to the National Portrait Gallery. 

I walked round just amazed at the sheer number of portraits - began with the 16th and 17th centuries, and had to stop for lunch. There are several of Elizabeth and Henry VIII and people like that, of course, but also so many artists and writers, etc. John Donne's portrait is fascinating, as well as so many of the writers and actors you've heard of. A quick lunch in the (unheated) cafe in the basement, and I went back for the 18th and 19th centuries. Sarah Siddons, Jane Austen, and the Bronte sisters portraits were some of my favorites. Finished up in the first half of the 20th century. Interesting that there is not a portrait of Oscar Wilde, and the only monarch who seems to be missing is Edward VIII. In fact, there's a small statue of George VI that was started as one of Edward, but when he abdicated, the artist just put a new head on it! 

By the time I'd finished all this, it was only about 3:30, but I was so tired - I'd basically been standing for 5 or 6 hours, and the hard floors were taking their toll. So off we ran back to the Charing Cross tube station that was only about a block away, and headed home. As soon as we got into the room, I fell asleep!

May go back to the rest of the tour tomorrow - there's still lots to see in that area.