I had the morning free as my flight to London wasn’t until 4pm so I decided to visit the Hermitage in Amsterdam museum. A satellite of the big museum in St. Petersburg it was celebrating its 10th anniversary with a special exhibition called: Treasury! Masterpieces of the Hermitage. 200 pieces of primo art with the first floor of the show devoted to pairings of art of the same theme but from across the centuries.

Such as a Matisse and a painting by a student of Leonardo’s:

Or horse regalia from the 3rd century B.C. and 1800’s Turkey:

There were also treasures from the Malachite Room at the palace:

And a wonderful pre:Renaissance painting by Van der Weyden

Then I strolled back to collect my luggage via the canals and narrow streets of Amsterdam before catching the bus for the airport.

The bus station was by far much closer to my hostel than the train station so it was an easy walk to catch the airport bus and luckily it was backroads after transiting the city – I could see a huge backup on the freeway right next to Schipol.

The flight was a quick hour hop across the channel and there was a bit of a hiccup with my way into London as the Piccadilly Line was shut for track service. The good news was they provided a free bus to Hammersmith, and the tube from there was only two stops to my hotel!

Coincidentally my brother will be in London all this coming week so I’m staying at his hotel. It’s in the same exact area where I stayed last August so I’m very familiar with shops and transport in the area. My room is teeny but it’s cozy and it’s all that I need so I’m well sorted. I immediately popped out to pick up some plonk and crisps and I’ve got Location, Location, Location on the telly so I’m one happy camper!