The People's Vote March and a National Gallery Visit

The 23 March was a memorable day, I caught one of the coaches organised by the Swindon for Europe group.

After an early start, the coach arrived in London about 10.45am, and we made our way to Hyde Park and walked across it to reach the march. Some of the Swindon group had made a huge yellow star which they put together in the park.

 Here are more of the Swindon group waiting to walk across the park together with the star

 And someone else's photos from What'sApp of the yellow star on the march, by this time, I'd lost the rest of the group.

 I'm not sure how they walked through the massive crowds of a million people with the star.

 This was the lunch stop before the march

 The standard of posters and fancy dress was fantastic, I wished I'd made a banner, worn an EU flag.

 Although the crowds were large, people were friendly and in agreement with each other. It was very moving to see this number of people who all felt the same way about being given a chance to have our say on our future relationship with Europe..

 In fact the emotion has stayed with me.

 These are my photos, I think I should have held the phone higher to show the extent of the crowds.

 London is such a great place, in the spring sunshine, it was possible to really enjoy being there.

 The splendour of the gates and statues is fantastic.

By the time we got to the National Gallery,we thought we'd go in for a toilet break and a drink. We stood for a long time in front of 'The Triumph of Pan' by Nicolas Poussin, 1636. We will see this painting when the Friends of Swindon Museum and Art Gallery visit Victoria Art Gallery on 12 April, the day after it goes on show there.

 After the Poussin, I was attracted to three paintings featuring horses, this one below is The Horse Fair by Rosa Bonheur from 1855. This is a reduced version of a larger picture and depicts a Paris horse market. It reminded me of the Appleby Horse Fair, it's a fabulous painting.

 This painting below  by Jean-Louis-Andre Theodore Gericault 'A Horse Frightened by Lightening' about 1813

 and the third horse painting is by Corot and his only known equestrian painting, painted about 1850, it's stunning.

Looking out of a window at the National Gallery, there were still crowds of people on the march.