London: National Gallery and Trafalgar Square

  When we finished at Harry Potter Studio, it seemed like it must be almost dinnertime.  However, Pierre had brilliantly booked us for one of the first tours and it was only about two o'clock. We convinced the girls to hop of the Underground and to check out  Trafalgar Square and the National Gallery. 

The girls have a picture book called Katie and the Picture Show by James Mayhew.  Pierre's mom gave the girls their first books in this series.  There are 12 (almost thirteen according to Mayhew's blog) about a little girl climbing into paintings and having adventures.  Mayhew is British and Katie and the Picture Show features only paintings in the National Gallery.  Many of the other books have paintings from many galleries around the world.  We have recognized paintings from the books at the Louvre and Musée D'Orsay.  The books have beautiful illustrations and are usually good stories, too.  My favourite, Katie and the Bathers, (I think this book has a different title in North America) features a Seurat painting, The Bathers of Asnières, which is in the National Gallery.  We had a good time locating some of the paintings in the Katie books and enjoying some of the rest of the collection.

Here's a list of paintings featured in Katie books, that you can find in the National Gallery collection, in London:  Seurat's Bathers at Asnières – room 44 Vincent Van Gogh’s Sunflowers - room 45 Monet's Waterlily Pond – room 43 Turner's Fighting Temeraire– room 34 Constable’s The Cornfield – room 34 Henri Rousseau's Surprised – room 45 Renoir's The Umbrellas – not currently on display as at 20/2/12 (because it was a Musée D'Orsay!) Renoir's at the Theatre – room 44 Velazquez's Philip IV of Spain in Brown and Silver – room 30 Murillo's Peasant Boy Sitting on a Sill – room  30 Ingres' Madame Moitessier Seated – room 41 

Lord Nelson who gave his life to win the battle of Traflgar

 

Pierre boosted the girls up for a photo shoot with one of the lions surrounding Lord Nelson

Canada House is on one side of Trafalgar Square

View of Trafalgar Square from the National Gallery (Sorry about your head, Lord Nelson).