A Royal Day Out

A Proper Good Morning to You.
"A Royal Day Out" is what it said on my ticket.  Yes, I went to Buckingham Palace!  It's been open to the public for many years now, but I have never before been in London at the right time, so it was on my list.  I admire HMQ Elizabeth II for her devotion to her country and duty, so I got a combi ticket for the Queen's Gallery, Royal Mews, and State Rooms and claimed my discount for being over sixty, which saved me three pounds.  I offered my passport, but the gracious young woman at the ticket counter explained to me that they just took people at their word adding it doesn't matter how they look.  The ticket prices include auto guides which are very well done.
It took some getting there.  My local station was closed for departures.  Fine. I walked down to Covent Garden Station.  I could have in fact walked all the way to Green Park, but it would have taken me about forty minutes, and I wanted to get there early.  I anticipated a line as I knew the Palace was a popular site.  In fact there was no line, and I got a timed entry to the Queen's Gallery right away.
I lucked (at least one of my readers would use another word) into a wonderful exhibition of Canalettos.  He is in my opinion a very underrated artist.  Modern taste has moved on from the naturalistic and idealized, so Canaletto is not especially in favor with the art establishment, but in his day he was deservedly popular and very successful.  Canaletto specialized in vedute--cityscapes--mostly of his native Venice, but he also visited London and did some views of the city and the river.  When I showed his work to my students, they could not believe at first it was a painting thinking because of the clarity and detail, it must be a photo.  But the clarity, detail, and composition is what makes it art.  I appreciate the quality of the light Canaletto creates.  My friend JMW Turner agreed with me.
My next stop was the Royal Mews where HMQ (That's Her Majesty the Queen to you colonials) keeps her cars, horses, and carriages.  Visitors get to meet a couple of the horses.  I saw two large and beautiful bays having their post exercise breakfast.  HMQ names them herself.  The most interesting and beautiful part of the exhibition were the royal coaches.  They have all names and specific purposes and are still used frequently.  When you are appointed as Ambassador to the Court of St. James, one of these coaches will come to fetch you so you can present your credentials to HMQ at St. James's Palace, which is not far from Buckingham Palace.  That one by the way is never open to the public.
Then I had a hiatus before my timed admission to the State Apartments.  I decided to walk down to Victoria Station and snoot around.  The place was a zoo--as always.  And the it turned hot and humid.  I walked back to Green Park where I had some good but horribly overpriced ice cream--rum raisin, if you want to know.
I showed up for my visit and was shown into a room to wait.  Then we were let in to go through security and pick up our audio guides.  The State Rooms are beautiful and grand and very much worth seeing and the audio guide is helpful.  On exhibit were also gifts given to HMQ from various parts of the world.  The highlight as far as I was concerned were the paintings and sculptures from the Royal Collection.  HMQ holds them in trust for the nation, and it is an extraordinarily impressive gathering of art.  I was very taken by an exquisite Vermeer of A Lady at a Virginal.  The Rembrandts are amazing, and of course I always enjoy good portraits.  To my surprise, there were also several lovely marble sculptures by Antonio Canova.
I was tired by then, but the tour ends with a refreshing walk through part of the grounds past green lawns and a lake.  The nice lady at the exit offered me directions.  I wanted Green Park.  I think she just heard park and directed me to Hyde Park, but actually this worked out.  It was probably closer at that point than Green Park and the Hyde Park Corner tube is on the Piccadilly Line, so it's a straight shot to Holborn.
I got some more pear and apple cidre.  Good!  And I had a nice salad.  The main dish is a chicken and mushroom pie, which I find sufficiently English.  It's very tasty.  The "crust" is potato and the filling is nicely mushroomy and chickish with what tastes like thyme gravy.
The forecast tomorrow is for rain, so I am going to have to change my plans for my field trip to Kent to visit a stately home.  No fear!  I have a couple of art galleries on my radar--well, of course I do!