3rd day in London

Another busy day! Starting with Hampton Court, the Palace of Henry VIII. From there we went to Sir John Soane's home/museum and then the British Museum. The British Museum started closing soon after we got there so I plan to go back soon!

2nd day in London

We started off the day at Westminster Abbey and the walked down to the National Portrait Gallery. I was able to see works by Rembrandt, Rubens, Raphael Van Dyck, Turner and Leonardo Da Vinci as well as many others. I hope to be able to go back there before I leave. After lunch in the cafeteria we went to the Victoria and Albert Museum (the V & A). There are amazing copies of some of the most famous sculptures there, as well as some originals, see if you can tell the difference.

1st day in London

I can't believe I was able to keep going after no sleep for over 24 hours. We did a tour of down-town London past Big Ben, Buckingham Palace and Trafalga Square. We practically ran into the Queen, actually they stoped me to let her car come out of the palace. Sorry, no photo, I was out of memory. The Hostel we are staying in is really nice, but they don't have wireless as they promised. So we have to go to an Internet cafe, the hours aren't very good though. The time here is seven hours ahead of Utah. It's incredible how big London is, it's like a giant New York.

Apsley House

The Apsley House was built by Robert Adam between 1771 and 1778 for Lord Apsley. In 1817 he sold it to his brother Sir Arthur Wellesley, who became the Duke of Wellington. The current Duke of Wellington still has apartments there, even though the 7th Duke of Wellington gave the house to the nation in 1947. It is known as "Number One, London" because of it's address. It houses many pieces of art, including the 1st Duke's collection of paintings by Goya, Velasquez, Rubens and Brueghel.

Donatello's David

Donatello's David is known as the first large scale nude sculpture in the Renaissance period. It was very controversial because of it's nudity and it's feminine features. I think Donatello liked causing a big commotion, what we would call publicity. His hat seems a little girly but that was what the shepherds wore, and most assume the same for his open toes boots. Michelangelo was reportedly highly influenced by Donatello's work.