London, December 12, 2017

As Dr. Samuel Johnson famously said: "When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life." Despite the cold spell here, we had a fascinating afternoon. After checking in to our hotel, which is near the Marble Arch and beautifully-appointed Portman Square, we headed to lunch at Kurobuta. We dined on pumpkin and shrimp tempura, sautéed mushrooms, "flaming edamame," and a rolled eggplant dish, both tender and flavorful. Then, guided by Jim's trusty cell phone GPS, we walked to Hertford House, home of one of the great London museums, The Wallace Collection. In addition to first-rate paintings by Rubens, Velasquez, Hals, Watteau, Van Dyke, Bonnington and many other Old Masters, the collection is one of the most outstanding repositories of decorative arts, from clocks to china, and snuf boxes to armor. After the Wallace Collection, Jim wanted to see the colorful holiday windows at Selfridges huge department store. They are campy, and some window dresser's idea of Nirvana. We're looking forward to another exciting day tomorrow. - Dan