A LITTLE LATE, BUT IT WAS GREAT!

The V&A doesn't serve regular "cafeteria" food, so it stands to reason that the trays the food is served on are far from standard as well. Love the refined floral in lieu of boring beige or something even worse!

I know that this blog has not seen many updates for a long time, but I've been so busy with work, marriage, travel, decorating our home, setting up my studio and life that I am just now getting a bit caught up. I took so many photos during my trip to London last Fall and so wanted to share my visit to The Victoria and Albert museum, even though it's a bit late in coming.

I hadn't been back to the V&A since 1989, but enjoyed it even more on my return visit.

The best museum food that I've ever tasted, hands down. I usually consider "good museum food" an oxymoron.

Both the exterior and interior architecture are quite impressive, with Prince Albert, Queen Victoria's beloved Consort, as the central figure and icon of this place and so many others around London.

You could spend days examining all of the art, artifacts, textiles and antiquities here.

These snapshots feature just a few highlights of what my husband and I saw.

The mammoth skylights are key to the openness and light here, in spite of the fact that the edifice hails from the Victorian era when "heavy" and "dark" were the norms of the period's architectural vernacular.

This piece was especially impressive because it was constructed entirely of glazed terracotta and so beautiful.

I hope they used some heavy-duty sinkers to hoist that massive carved architectural relic up on the wall!

This pagoda and the Oriental pieces were especially fascinating.

This handpainted wallpaper dates from around 1790-1800

After lunch and several hours of perusing the art and historic treasures, we took a late afternoon stroll over to Hyde Park. I love this place and relished the space, light and people watching. Lots of darling little British charges with rosy cheeks tucked in their prams for a ride in the fresh air.

The V&A is certainly a "can't miss" if you are visiting London. You won't be sorry that you took a precious slice of time to see the world's finest museum of decorative arts!