Between social engagements, we managed to fit in the obligatory bit of culture, made even more attractive by the fact that it was a rainy day in London town.
As we had just visited the William Morris home, our appetite was whetted for some more Pre-Raphaelite art. Luckily, Tate Britain had an exhibit on Edward Burne-Jones, so off we went. It was a quick bus ride, which gave us the chance to walk to Trafalgar Square and spot some good tourist sites along the way, like Parliament, Westminster Abbey and Downing Street. Hard to photograph from a bus, but nice to see again.
The thing about Burne-Jones, we learned, is that his focus on beauty and dreamy moods can be a bit bit cloying after the first fifty examples. But so many of them were iconic and lovely on their own that we kept on admiring his voluminous output of drawings, stained glass, portraits, legend series and designs on tapestry, embroidery and anything else that needed decorating.
We also wandered through some of the other galleries, thoughtfully arranged by decade, with a lovely restaurant and gift shop also provided.
Filled with our daily quota of art, we went back to our hotel to prepare for a visit to friends in Highgate, loaded up with take-away from one of the Chinatown restaurants around the corner.
Variety is the spice of dining, we say.