Monday was a Bank Holiday, a big three day weekend here for the Brits.  Unfortunately it rained all day, so we went back to the National Gallery.

Tuesday it was off to Oxford to the Ashmolean Museum that has 10 paintings on our list.  The train ride is right at one hour.  Well we saw ALL 10 paintings, but not without a little drama.  We had seen eight of the ten and we were on the way to the galleries that had the last two.  There was a notice on the door listing that these galleries were closed!  We went to the information desk and asked when these galleries would be reopened?  The volunteer told us to see the gallery employee at the front door, because the volunteers didn’t know.  She quickly added that we should tell them how far we had come.  Well to shorten this already long story after we told her we were from Chicago, the lady called the manager and he escorted us into the closed galleries to see our paintings.  They didn’t have enough employees to open all the galleries.  After that we treated ourselves to a very nice lunch at the museum’s roof top restaurant.  Since we didn’t have reservations (who knew?) we shared a table with two ladies who were in our class picture, i.e. our age group.  They were sisters here to see a special exhibition and lecture on embroidery.  They both are embroiderers.  They were very nice and told us to see “Alfred’s Jewel” that is in the museum.  It is the most important archeological artifact in the UK.  It has been dated from the late 9^th century.  It is linked to Alfred the Great.  A Saxon king who by the end of the 9^th century was the most dominant king in Britain.  After another wonderful lunch with desert we caught the train home.  Tomorrow will be a busy travel day: London to Leamington Spa to Birmingham to Leicester then home to London.  We should see seven paintings.  

August 26 2014 Oxford 

 

London August 26 2014 Oxford