On Wednesday I mapped a route to the Victoria and Albert Museum online, made some notes and set off. Heading west, with umbrella in hand, under cloudy skies, I walked by St. Paul’s Cathedral.
St Paul’s Cathedral
I continued down to Trafalgar Square which was full of people and buses as I negotiated my way through the traffic. It is a good thing they have painted on the street which way to look before crossing. Automatic pilot does not work here as they drive on the opposite side of the road.
Trafalgar Square
From Trafalgar Square it was a quick turn onto Pall Mall under the Admiralty Arch.
Admiralty Arch
Then it was a pleasant stroll down the Pall Mall past Buckingham Palace and the Victoria Memorial.
Victoria Memorial by Buckingham Palace
I walked past the Canada Gates and continued through Green Park on Constititution Hill. Then it was a few underground walkways (subways in England) to get to Knightsbridge.
Canada Gate
From Knightsbridge I turned onto the Brompton Road which is the home of some famous shops like Harrods and Burberrys.
Burberrys
There are some lovely looking residence flats and hotels here too.
Lovely place to stay
A turn onto Cromwell Road took me to The Victoria and Albert. They had a special exhibit on David Bowie with costumes etc. but tickets were sold out for the day. There are so many interesting exhibits here from furniture to ceramics, textiles to sculpture from all part of the world, both ancient and modern.
Staircase from central hall of large town house in Brittany 1522-30
Sculptures and wall decorations V & A
Pillar V & A
I had some coffee and a scone and a bit of a sit down for my tired feet in the delightful cafe at the V & A
Cafe
On the way back home to the flat I decided to visit some places mentioned in the book my online reading group just finished, Frederica by Georgette Heyer.
Mount Street
Hans CrescentÂ
I had fun imagining what this area must have been like in the early 1800s. Of course coming up to a corner I was quickly brought to the present by the crowd of people standing outside a pub enjoying a pint or two after work. This is a familiar scene throughout the city.
Crowd of people at pub
Lovely building
I walked about this area for quite a bit and then headed back toward Trafalgar Square and down the Strand where I caught a bus back to the Tower.
Tower of London before sunset
I had walked over 13 miles and was glad to get home and put my feet up!