Today we visit the “Portraits of Dogs” exhibition. And it’s really great! The paintings are by different artists. Many were painted by Edwin Landseer in the 19th century. He managed to capture not only his dogs and those of his relatives and acquaintances true to life. No, he often also hid a socially critical message in his paintings. It’s great how the panels next to the pictures convey this information.

The exhibition also includes a paw sketch by Leonardo Da Vinci and dog drawings by Queen Victoria and her husband Albert, who loved dogs and enjoyed drawing them.

David Hockney’s dachshund paintings from the modern era are also particularly cute. The artist couldn’t stop painting his two dogs. You can even see how he did it in a little video.

But the other paintings and exhibits in the Wallace Collection are also impressive. We enter more and more rooms, the walls of which are covered in art. The man really was a collector! Apparently also of weapons and armour, but these are of less interest to us.

For lunch we find a table at Hoppers. Gabi has already read a lot about this Sri Lankan restaurant and is excited to eat here. We order a lamb and a chicken curry, dal, Gabi a dosa and I a Hopper, after which the restaurant is named. This is a kind of pancake in the shape of a small bowl, which is eaten together with the curry. Mine has a fried egg in it. The dosa is also a kind of pancake, but it’s crispier around the edges and folded. In any case, we are very satisfied by the food.

After lunch, we move the car closer to Liberty. That way it’s already in the right place for later. We then walk up and down Oxford Street and are surprised that many of the buildings are being renovated or are empty. What remains is the Disney Store with what feels like fewer products for adults, and of course Selfridges. But here, too, there seems to have been a standstill since autumn. Which is a shame for a shop that is constantly changing and has always had something new on offer.

So we set off for Liberty. “I’m here to pick up my pig”, Gabi tells the shop assistant. She knows right away. She carefully packs it up and puts it in a big bag. Much too bulky. Gabi simply tucks it under her arm. It’s not far to the car. Here it turns out: the pig doesn’t fit in the frunk after all. The legs still stick out. So it goes on the back seat.

We drive in the general direction of the hotel, but make a stopover in Canary Wharf to charge LucY. There is another Tesla Supercharger in a multi-storey car park. But there is information about where the charging stations are, as well as signs we can follow. So convenient. And the way here was also nice: we drove past St. Paul’s Cathedral, the Tower of London and Tower Bridge.

While LucY charges at the Supercharger, I briefly explore the area. A security guard shows me where I can leave the underground shopping maze to get outside for some fresh air. Two stairs later, I’m standing on a lawn in the middle of impressive skyscrapers. Wow, there must be tens of thousands of people working here! Or rather, at half past seven in the evening, having their after-work beer or dinner.

At the hotel, I stop by Five Guys to get dinner. After the hustle and bustle with the many annoying tourists on Oxford Street, the peace and quiet of the hotel room is just what we need.