A Visit with Some Old Art Friends

A proper good morning to you!
I had a very pleasant--although not very long--first day out.  I got some decent sleep, and I feel good although tired from all the walking around.  The weather is perfect.  It's sunny but not hot.
I was proud of myself yesterday for figuring out the elevator and room door.  We get one of those magic cards rather like an Oyster Card only for accommodation.  I also figured out the plumbing.  It's not just a matter of turning water on and off.  There's a system . . .
I set off and strolled from Holborn to New Oxford Street because I wanted to lick some windows before the National Gallery opened. Whoa. There is a LOT of construction going on, which I hope is a good post Brexit sign of prosperity.  Every single street I was on had something major going on so we pedestrians had many diversions and detours.
I arrived at my target shortly after it opened, and for a wonder the place was not packed.  The National Gallery, London is huge and comprehensive. It's just paintings--ha just!  One could (and I in fact did) spend hours gazing upon one masterpiece after another.  A lot of the AP Art History curriculum works come from this museum, so I had a lot of "Old Friends" in the collection.  I could make a hugely long list of works. I won't, but I will mention a few.  I came upon Holbein's French Ambassadors and asked the room attendant where to stand to see the skull snap into place.  He showed me and also treated me to a lecture about the work. I mentioned I taught Art History, but he ignored me and continued to lecture giving an unfortunately distorted view of the historical context.  As I said, Londoners love an ignorant foreigner, and he was clearly so keen to impart some knowledge I didn't have the heart to interrupt him, and besides other viewers had gathered around.  And I also have to admit he pointed out some features of the work I did not know about.  I had a good look at Van Eck's Arnofini Marriage and marveled at the detail considering that the painting is not that big.
Leonardo's Virgin of the Rocks has a special display room to itself--and well deserved.  The museum features a notable collection of Titian including his glorious Bacchus and Ariadne, and there are some first rate Rubens and Rembrandt.  I was very pleased to see the Claudes and Canalettos getting due attention.  There's nothing wrong with a painting's being pretty after all.  I made sure I visited Turner and Constable.  I love looking at the Haywain and picked out a lot of details in the work like the farm workers in the background not evident even on the best of plates.  There are a few Impressionist and Late Nineteenth Century works, but most of those are in other museums, which I am likely to visit.
But art fatigue sets in even for me, so I set off down the Strand meaning to make a loop that would take me through Covent Garden and then back home. I had some food targets in mind.
Today's meal will have a definite Iberian theme, but since London is an international city, I do not apologize for deviating from English food. Let's begin the repast with an assortment of Spanish olives both green and black.  The green ones are slightly piquant, and the black ones are mild and satisfyingly oily.
I stopped in a shop for some Spanish ham. This is the famed Bellota Bellota made from free range pigs who feed on acorn, and the product is correspondingly expensive.  I got a sandwich upon which I ordered olive oil and tomato to assuage my nutritional conscience.  Let's have a bite.  The ham does not taste at all like American ham.  It's very mild, but the flavor develops as one chews and is complex and becomes rich tasting.
My last stop of the day was Neal's Yard Dairy near Covent Garden.  This is Cheese Heaven.  For a while I was the only one in the shop, and let me tell you the people who work here are Very Keen on Cheese and are delighted with any interest in their wares.  I got to taste a lot of truly wonderful cheeses, and I bought a couple, too--but you are going to have to wait on them.