Memorial Day LSO in Trafalgar Square

It is Memorial Day today in the U.S.

In the U.K. there are memorials in many public places honoring those who died in WWI and WWII - everyone from the choristers of St. Paul's to the employees of the Great Northern Railroad.

Near Trafalgar Square there is a statue which commemorates the life of Edith Cavell.  She was a nurse in Belgium in WWI and tended to the wounded on both sides of the conflict.  She is credited with helping 200 Allied soldiers escape from German occupied Belgium.  For that she was court-martialled and found guilty.  She was executed at dawn by a firing squad despite international pressure for mercy.

This afternoon we revisited the National Portrait Gallery to look at an exhibit of Native American paintings by George Caitlin (they are on loan from the Smithsonian).   Caitlin came over to London about 1840 and exhibited his work her to great acclaim.

We then explored the Trafalgar Square area.     

This is a Victorian replica of an Eleanor Cross (erected between 1291-1293) to honor the death of Eleanor of Castile.

This is St. Martin in the Fields.  There certainly aren't fields here any longer.

The Charing Cross underground station has lots of neat signs on the walls.

On the square, Nelson would not look at me.

The fountain folks; however did look in my direction. 

I think they were wondering why the water was turned off in the fountain.

It was off as the London Symphony Orchestra performed a free concert this evening.  The LSO is probably most famous for recording the sound track to the movie "Star Wars". 

Trafalgar Square made for a wonderful place to watch a free concert.

The program was works by Hector Berlioz.

The square was packed with people of all ages.

It was a neat way to spend the evening.