Trampling To Trafalgar

Half the fun of blogging is coming up with wonderful and witty titles (ah .... you see what I did with that alliteration*?!).

Yesterday I went to the National Portrait Gallery.  I didn't take any photos there because it was just a bunch of British people you may or may not be interested in.  But, more importantly, these portraits are so famous that you've probably seen them already in textbooks, magazines, etc.  Thus, it would be a disservice to post them here - you all will just have to visit London to see them with your own eyes!  And, actually, there is ONE American who made it in ..... any guesses?  That's right: George Washington.  AND, it's one of his portraits I'm sure you've seen: http://www.oceansbridge.com/paintings/museums/national-portrait-gallery/George-Washington-by-Gilbert-Stuart.jpg
In any case, there is a lot to see there, and it's free (like so many British museums), but more importantly, the National Portrait Gallery is located just behind the National Gallery and Trafalgar Square.

Trafalgar Square was constructed on the site of the Battle of Trafalgar to commemorate Horatio Nelson, one of Britain's greatest military heroes.  Nelson is buried in the crypt of St. Paul's Cathedral next to Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington (yes, that guy who defeated Napoleon -- no big deal!).  And, as most things go here in London, the taller the building/monument, the more important it must be.  At the end of the Square is a HUGE pillar with Nelson on top.

Trafalgar Square (from steps of the National Gallery)

[Pictured] Notice a nice shot of Big Ben and Parliament in the distance.  There are actually protected views throughout London.  What does this mean?  There are certain lines of sight that cannot be blocked by anything (buildings, trees), which preserves historical London while modern London grows around it.

Amidst soaking in all this very gripping history, something happened that made me jump out of my skin and almost run, screaming in heart-wrenching pain:

A man. Dressed in a KILT (as if that wasn't bad enough). Playing ....... a bagpipe!
There was no more time for photos - just a swift departure from the Square towards Buckingham Palace.**  Though, you should know that the bagpiper was standing just left of where the picture cuts off.

And, best realization of the day: Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman were in that very spot shooting episodes of Sherlock!  (It's exciting to know they are in this city ... right now!)

Thanks for reading!


* Fun Fact: an alliteration with "S" sounds is called a sibilance!
** look out for a Buckingham Palace post soon (my official tour of the interior is this weekend)