London Tourist
Greenwich
The embassy was quite efficient, and the whole operation took less than an hour. They gave me 2 envelopes, one for the airline, one to present to Immigration officials when I arrived at Seatac.
So then I visited Oxford Street, just a couple of blocks from the embassy. I wasn't all that impressed, although perhaps I did not see the best part. And it was windy, which combined with the car exhaust to make it a rather unpleasant street to be in. So I headed off to Hyde Park, where I sat and watched the lake for a little while. Then started walking towards the Albert Memorial. I had to see this, since it is the butt of many Goon Show jokes. Alas, I was disappointed. It is closed for repairs, and is completely covered with scaffolding and metal sheets. There is a small trailer with an exhibition about the memorial - scale models, photos and plans, complete with a history and details of the neighbourhood. I must say that it looks like a Victorian Folly, and the Goon Show was probably correct for sending it to the moon!
From there I walked to the Victoria and Albert Museum, which is but a few blocks away. Even passed the John Howard Hotel on the way! I enjoyed the V & A. It is an enormous museum, and I think it would probably take a week to see all of it in any sort of detail. So I headed for the extension. This contained a collection of Constable paintings, and several other exhibits, such as German poster art of the 30s and 40s, and a collection of miniatures - mostly portraits of people painted on ceramic or porcelain, and just a few centimetres in diameter.
The Constable paintings were amazing. The detail is just phenomenal. He really was a good artist. Sadly, the museum has a piece of perspex over the front of each work, making it difficult to see the image well. I understand their concern about damage, but it really does spoil the paintings.