Private Tour of London

One of my fellow teachers, Lynne, and her husband, treated me to a day in London - my very own personal tour of London!  What a treat!  Lynne even came and picked me up this morning and then Keith, her husband, drove us into town.  This was actually the first time I had arrived in London by car - I certainly have no desire to drive there, so I take the train.

It was so much fun to be with some locals who really knew their way around, including the great little restaurants, shops, cafes and galleries.  Lynne took me into Forbidden Planet which is a "nerd store" for lack of a better description, full of collectibles from Doctor Who, Star Wars, Lord of the Rings and more.  Lynne and I thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, feeling like the guys from Big Bang Theory as they search through treasures in the comic book store.

We walked through Covent Gardens and Trafalgar Square, two of my favorite spots in London before arriving in an artsy part of London full of galleries.  We popped in a little bitty gallery of children's illustrators that was just perfect for Lynne and I, both being primary teachers at heart.  

A man was creating a huge collage of chalk flags in Trafalgar Square!
Lynne is a friend (member) of the Royal Academy, so she flashed her fancy card as we bypassed the queue of people waiting to get into the special exhibit.  The portrait collection of Manet is currently on display in the Royal Academy, and it is quite an extensive collection of his very impressive, detailed work.  I'm not always nearly as appreciative of fine art as I should be, but some of his paintings looked like photographs they were so precise.

One of my favorite Manet portraits I saw today.

We continued our afternoon down Oxford Street, through Piccadilly Circus, and onto Carnaby Road.  We stopped at a coffee shop along the way, went in some famous department stores and found a unique store called "Think British" where we both purchased some special British items.

After a lovely dinner, they drove me back home where I am soon to crash after walking so much of the city and enjoying a lovely day with some lovely people!  

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