England: London Day 4 (and some observations)

We didn't see and do as much today as yesterday, so not as many pictures. We spent the morning in the National Gallery...a beautiful (free) art museum. I viewed original works from Leonardo da Vinci, Vincent Van Gogh, Peter Paul Reubens, and Paul Cezanne to name a few. Then we followed a (modified) walk that a friend let me borrow for this trip. We visited the John Soane museum (another freebie) which you can learn more about here. After that, we walked back to our hotel via Oxford Street, famous for its shopping. (Right up my alley!)

Beautiful street!

Another beautiful street!

Olympic spirit and national pride.


I liked this angle.

This is the street of the Soane Museum...(almost) just like during Charles Dickens' era.

I found China's flag among all the Olympic nation flags on display in this part of London.

Having been in London for 4 days now, I've come to realize a few things. These are just my own observations.
  • By far, the accessory of choice by female Londoners is the scarf. It is worn by women of all ages, races, shapes, and sizes, and it is worn in just as many different, beautiful ways. Good thing I brought (and bought!) a few scarves.
  • Londoners like to eat...or at least gather around a table in a restaurant. There are cafes EVERYWHERE. In museums, bookshops, national heritage sites, cathedrals, abbeys, you name it.
  • Based on the above observation, you might think that Londoners are overweight. In fact, I've found the opposite to be true. I have seen very few overweight people. My guess is that so many Londoners walk to so many different places, it helps them stay fit.
  • Londoners are like Americans in the amount of litter and graffiti produced. We've seen litter and graffiti in every possible place, just like you see in big cities in America.
  • For the most part, people who help us at retail shops, grocery stores, restaurants, etc. are not very friendly. Unlike in the states, where the customer is always right and must be treated as such, we've had cashiers and waiters who barely even look at us, much less greet us and/or thank us for our custom.
  • The trend of choice of the male Londoner (age 19-40ish) is the skinny jean with a pair of pointed shoes. We've seen this style many times over the last few days...done well, and not so well.
One more full day in London tomorrow--we have tickets to see Shrek, the Musical at the Theatre Royal on Drury Lane. (Do you know the muffin man?)

Comments

Yes, I know the muffin man.....

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