When it Rains, it Pours

Actually, we've had some pretty decent weather here, although it's still hard to wrap my brain around the fact that it's mid-July when the typical weather forecast has been "partly cloudy, high 68."  Considering it's 20 or even 30 degrees warmer in most parts of the US right now, I'm certainly not going to complain, but that may be the reason why this seems to be a popular time to visit London.  As a result, Wednesday was a particularly busy day.

Robin and I took the Tube into Kensington Wednesday morning and went to the Victoria & Albert Museum.  It was my third visit since we arrived here, but the museum is so vast and maze-like that I could go back half a dozen more times and still not see everything there is to see. And seeing as how it is one of my favorite museums (and it's free), I probably will.  On our way to the Theater & Performance halls, we were stopped in our tracks by the Architectural Courts.  These rooms are about 4 stories high, and contain plaster casts of some amazing architectural wonders, many of which have survived longer than the originals they were made from.  Most mind-boggling of all is Trajan's Column, which is so tall it had to be cut in half to fit in the room.

Trajan's Column

They also had a cast of Michelangelo's statue of David, which is much larger than I expected.  Nearly double life size.

David's clone

And the elaborate doorway from a Baptistry in Florence, Italy known as the Gates of Paradise

Gates of Paradise

As we continued on our way, we took time to admire the extensive metalwork collection and this enormous Chihuly chandelier by the main entrance.

Chihuly chandelier and clock

By the time we actually found the Theatre hall, I had to go, so I left Robin to explore the museum while I hopped back on the Tube to meet my sister, Sonia, at Heathrow.  She walked right past me as I was coming up from the Tube station at Terminal 3, so it was remarkably easy to find her.  We hung out for a few minutes while I wolfed down a sandwich and then took the Tube back to Wimbledon.  I picked up a few things for dinner at the Tesco by the station, and we took a cab the rest of the way home.  For £5, it was worth it to not have to lug two bags of groceries and a suitcase the 5 blocks to my house.

After a full day at the V&A, Harrod's and Kensington Park, Robin came back just in time to join us for a simple homemade dinner of spaghetti with meat sauce, broccoli, and garlic bread, with berries and whipped cream for dessert.   It was nice to sit and relax at home after another full day.