Wandering in London and Hampstead

This is Trafalgar Square with the National Gallery in the background. Visiting the National Gallery is like opening up the pages of an art history textbook. Lots of very well known, world famous works there. Just around the corner is the National Portrait Gallery. As advertised, it's all about portraits of the famous in Britain--kings, queens, statesmaen, writers, scientists, etc. There is a big section on Henry VIII and the Tutor period. You realize that most of the portraits are the ones that you always see used in books about these people. In some ways it has more interest than the other museum. Trafalgar Square is also where Londoners assemble on major occasions as well.

Famous resident of Trafalgar Square--the lions that surround the Nelson Column. People climb up to get their pictures taken--mostly the young and foolish and agile, and they are not supposed to go past the paws, so said the cop I talked to. She said that drunks sometimes get to the head and then fall off and break something or other.

The heart of Trafalgar Square is the monument to Admiral Horation Nelson, who died at the naval battle of Trafalgar while defeating Napoleon's fleet.

There's currently a big platform for performance art in the square. Artists are allowed one hour for their performance--anything as long as it's legal. This guy was looking to turn into a human lightening rod as the storm approached.

Nice little street near Leicester Square in the area where people go to buy theatre tickets.

All kinds of statues to performers in Leicester Square. Here's one to London native Charlie Chaplin.

Oxford Street. Let's go, shoppers.

Meanwhile, back in "our" village of Hampstead. On the walk to Hampstead from here where we saty is St. John's Church. It's been around in one form or another since the Middle Ages. It has a cemetery beside it and another part across the street. It's a little gem that I have come to love. In this one little church graveyard are some fairly famous and very interesting people.

The place is a little overgrown which gives it a nice rustic and remote feel. Come to think of it, I'm starting to feel a little rustic and overgrown myself these days.

Here's a sampler from St. John's. George du Maurier was a 19th century novelist whose main claim to fame is that he is the grandfather of novelist Daphne du Maurier who wrote the novel "Rebecca" which was made into a pretty famous movie with Laurence Olivier.

This is the tomb of John Constable, the most famous English landscape painter of them all. He lived in Hampstead, which has always been home to lots of writers and artists.

Tucked away in the weeds, which someone had kindly pushed back, is the grave of Eleanor Farjeon, who wrote the hymn "Morning Has Broken."

This one to me is the coolest. It's the grave of a husband and wife and a couple of their sons. Their last name is Llewelyn Davies. James Barrie lived with them and was later the guardian of some of the boys after both parents had died. James Barrie? you say, looking puzzled. He's the guy who wrote "Peter Pan." He modeled the characters on this family. The mother was the model for both Wendy and Mrs. Darling. Connections, connections everywhere.

Just one of the streets in quiet Hampstead.