a day out in ... London

Last week, we made a last-minute decision to have a day out in London. With no firm plan, we decided on wandering around, and calling into places as we passed.

We walked along the Southbank, popping into the Tate Modern to see the small Diane Arbus exhibition. Then it was over the Millenium Bridge to find somewhere for lunch. We walked around for ages, only to end up back where we started in Cafe Rouge.

It has a great location, next to St Paul's Cathedral, and you couldn't ask for a better view out the window.

We watched the world go buy from the steps of the cathedral for a while, and weren't the only ones - can you spot the lady in the sombrero and bright poncho in the picture? I have no idea why she was wearing that, but was happily reading her book amongst the tourists!

Walking along Fleet Street, we reached Trafalgar Square, where we dipped into the National Portrait Gallery. It's fairly small, by London standards, so we were able to see all of it in a no time. I particularly enjoyed the early/mid-20th century paintings.

It was then time for a pitstop in the National Gallery cafe. I love this cafe - with the brass fittings and bentwood chairs it feels like being in Paris. And we shared a very romantic cookie.

After a quick dash along Regent Street in the rain, it was time to head home. The day was lots of fun, and something we should do more often.