The Jetpacker

The National Gallery is another one of London’s free museums boasting an embarrassment of riches.  The museum is home to 2,300 paintings, which is relatively small in comparison to the collections of most major museums, but this place packs a heavyweight punch.  World famous works from artists such as Rembrandt, da Vinci, Cézanne, Von Gogh, Monet and Michelangelo are on display.

Located right in Trafalgar Square, the building’s exterior comes across as more of a government building than an art museum, but the interior showcases the regality you’d expect from the British.  Each beautifully-colored room is spacious and navigation through the entire museum is relatively simple.

The 46 rooms (as well as the monumental Central Hall) in the main building is where the real action is at.  But you can also visit the Sainsbury Wing, a separate building to the left that harbors the Renaissance collection.  There’s also the National Portrait Gallery, just behind the main building.

Van Gogh's "Sunflowers" Is On Display

We had plans to check out the Portrait Gallery, but I accidentally spilled a cup of hot chocolate all over Jackie in the National Gallery café and we had to leave.  However, I think it was for the best:

1.) That hot chocolate was way too thick and obviously unhealthy.  It looked like brown butter and covered Jackie with a greasy film that required two heavy duty washings to get it out of her jeans.

2.)  The weather was cold.  Which means it was way easier to warm up by dumping her with hot chocolate as opposed to the slow, lazy man’s way of actually drinking it.

I think that makes me a national hero worthy of a portrait in the Portrait Gallery.