Final day on London spent at the National Portrait Gallery, the National Gallery and the Tate Gallery of Britain. Photos from Portrait Gallery include paintings of, Robert Louis Stevenson, Charles Dickens, Charles Darwin, Mary Shelly, Mick Jagger and Elizabeth Taylor.
Photos are not allowed to be taken  in the National Gallery I was advised by the loud voice of a security guard whose three favourite paintings in the gallery are,
The Boulevard Mortmanto At  Night by Pissaro, Men of The Docks by George Bellous and  The Gare St Lagare. I really liked all his choices and added my own favourite that I tried to photograph, Bathers at La Grenouillere by Claude Monet.
As for the Tate Gallery there were many exciting examples of work by Turner, etchings  by Blake and sculptures by Henry Moore.

Except for a painting by Turner, an afternoon at the Tate Gallery of Modern Art left me as perplexed as this first woman.

My ride from Rotterdam was past very well maintained canal homes along an amazing bike roadway system to the port of Houke van Holland where I caught an overnight ferry to Harwick England and a return to the less efficient but more charming winding bike routes through villages, forest trails and farmers fields. The highlight was an unplanned stop at the Birch Parish where I visited with John Harrison, part owner and resident painter of the Birch Gallery and Tea Room. John  paints very detailed pictures populated with traditional boats, buildings and people. He also paints fliers and scenes from the First World War. A topic he is passionate about.

Writing from Rotterdam. Since last Wednesday I said goodbye to Newcastle and hello to Holland where bikes are the dominant and dominating species. Amsterdam, fascinating and fast. Rotterdam a riot of shapes.

Leaving Kelso involved much trial and error but eventual was on right road to Burick. Another amazing ride passed  estates, over stone bridges, pass aggressive sheep and by early afternoon arrived at Burick. A fortress city o

f walls, steep cobblestone lanes and 86 year old Jock, who has been  farming his city allotment for 61years.

Left Edinburgh and eventually picked up a bike path through neighbourhoods and gradually into rolling boarder country. After several long climbs against stiff wind  swung  through another river valley of quiet tree  lined roads and camped on grassy river bank next to some gypsies.