Another action-packed day in London! We took the Underground again, which I really enjoyed. Riding trains is so fun! We walked through Picadilly Circus, Leicester Square (Holy HUGE freaking Australia display at the Odeon), and ended up in Trafalgar Square where I caught sight of the National Gallery! We took a walk along the River Thames where I saw the London Eye in much better focus. This was where the New Year’s Eve fireworks display would be in the evening so much of the area was being prepped for a huge crowd. We decided paying £27 for a ride on the Eye was too outlandish to indulge in, so we admired it from a distance and thought a lot about Doctor Who. We took tons of photos of Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament. (It was impossible not to hear Chevy Chase in my head saying “Hey kids, Big Ben! Parliament!” In fact, he really would not shut up. I also kept seeing the HP sauce label.) Side note, Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament sounds like a terrible band name.

We had lunch at Wagamama, a delicious and efficient Japanese chain restaurant. The chicken curry was amazing! Then on to National Gallery. I was astounded by the fact that these famous works were just there on the walls. Leonardo’s Virgin of the Rocks was not there, but there was a pencil study in its place. Despite that, I still found myself deeply affected by being in its presence. Also absent was van Eyck’s Arnolfini Wedding which has impressed me since the first time I saw it in art history class. Saw Monet, Caravaggio, Michelangelo, Renoir, Constable, Turner, Cézanne, Vermeer, Rubens, Rembrandt, Raphael, and Vincent’s Sunflowers. So much amazing, incredible art. The highlight ended up being Titian’s Bacchus and Ariadne, which people of my generation will recognize as being defiled by the Crash Test Dummies on the cover of God Shuffled His Feet. (I absolutely hate the fact that I cannot divorce myself from this association, though admittedly I did own the album and enjoy it in its time.) It is so much larger, grander, and more vibrant than any photograph can deliver.

We had a delightful pub dinner, then went to Selfridges to get some booze to celebrate the new year in style–in our Almost Classy hotel room! We watched the Big Fat Quiz of the Year on tv followed by the London Eye fireworks, which we could hear echoing outside our window! Welcome 2009!