Over the weekend of the sixth to ninth of March, some thirty of our members enjoyed our annual Gallery Weekend, on this occasion to London. We were safely delivered to the Mercure Bloomsbury Hotel on the Friday lunchtime by our coach, and swiftly set about making the most of our time in the capital.
At dinner on the first night, it was inspiring to hear of people’s individually planned, and completely different, itineraries. Yes, it’s true that there were some exhibitions that seemed especially popular, like David Hockney: Drawing from life at the NPG, and Kimono: Kyoto to Catwalk at the V&A, but over the four days I think between us we may have made it to every gallery in London. Tate Modern, Tate Britain and The Mall Galleries were of course popular choices.
As we were just a stone’s throw from the British Museum, many of us spent time there, as well as in the scores of cafes and restaurants nearby. Among the theatre shows, people enjoyed Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, The Lion King and Leopoldstadt, Tom Stoppard’s new play. Wicked on the other hand got slighty less rave reviews! Shopping at Cass Art kept some of us busy too.
Naturally we were all aware of the developing situation with COVID-19 and so, people often chose to walk in the fresh air instead of using public transport. From Spitalfields Market through to the East End, to Tower Bridge (some even bravely made it up to the top of its high structure where there was a glass floor!), to the South Bank and the London Eye, we covered the London miles. It was great to catch up each evening on what people had particularly enjoyed.
We all agreed that the location of the hotel was not to be beaten, the staff were kind and professional, and those of us who ate there were happy with both the food and the company. The little Italian restaurant around the corner was also a popular choice with our members.
For a glimpse of the weekend through the eyes of one couple on the trip, Mike White has put together a really great account, in pictures, that he’s happy for us to share. You can see it by clicking HERE.
Some of Mike’s photos are also illustrating this blog post, along with some from Anne Linton and a few from me, Sally. Whatever shapes up in the coming weeks and months, I’m so pleased I was able to join this SAS Gallery Weekend, and spend time with you all.
Thanks must go to Alan Townsend, our organiser, who made sure everything ran without a hitch, to the staff at the hotel, and to Longmynd Travel. Here’s hoping that 2021 will see us all adventuring again.