In writing these posts I have come to realize just how many things I did/saw in London. It was one of the few cities I visited that I spent a significant amount of time in, yet was not able to see everything.
On Friday I slept in again and upon waking up, went to the Tower of London for a yeoman (more popularly known as a beefeater) guided tour of the Tower complex. Before the tour started though, I sat in on a mock swordfighting contest, complete with costumed lords, knights, pages, and the Queen herself. I have to admit, this was a pretty neat introduction to the Tower. The tour was even better; my guide had a wonderfully dry sense of humor and was a walking encyclopedia of information on all things pertaining to the Tower. Walking through the various buildings, past portcullises and up towers made Britain come alive in a totally new way.
Oh, and I almost forgot to mention the crown jewels. In true British form, I queued for a good 45 minutes, but it was well worth the wait. The collection of scepters, crowns, necklaces, and jewels was staggering: it was amazing to pause and marvel at the unbelievable wealth that the royals possessed.
After several hours inside the Tower, I walked back to the tube station along the south wall of the Tower, beside the Thames, and managed to incorporate a little people-watching too. To be sure, this was one of the highlights of the London experience for me.
On Saturday, I decided to do some massive journal and blog updates and then walked five minutes up the street to the Victoria and Albert Museum. This was a really neat museum (London has so many of these I found) that was devoted to art and design. Everything from Samurai suits to cast-iron railings were featured, and I must say that at times the V&A seemed to almost function as an overflow for all of Britain's other museums! I spent the greater part of the afternoon there. Afterwards, I went back to my hostel where I read until bedtime (which was an arbitrary and totally changing time of course).
The following day I woke up early and traveled to the Holy Trinity Brompton church for Sunday services. The previous time I had gone with the Underwoods and missed a little bit of the worship; this time, I was able to enjoy the complete service and really enjoyed it. The style and format reminded me of my church back in Southern Pines, but instead of worshiping in a modern, auditorium style facility, they were located in a several hundred year-old church building - so cool! The folks there were very nice too; I met a nice couple named Jeffrey and Hannah and they made me feel at home, which I have found is unfortunately rather rare in many churches these days.
After church, I went to Tesco for a chocolate dreamcake doughnut, which was maybe even a little better than the first one I tried, and then went to the Museum of Natural History. On a slight side note, my hostel was within easy walking distance of church, the history museum, and the V&A museum, which was certainly very convenient. I stayed in the museum for about three hours; it was fairly kid-oriented though and I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would have.
Here are a few thoughts that I jotted down in my iPad that evening, and I think they provide a cool glimpse into what I was thinking:
Thought about going to the science museum but am rather "museumed out" and just want to be back home. Ever since Ashley left I have realized how fast the days and weeks have passed, and I am so close to seeing everyone once again! I am very much looking forward to it, though hopefully with a patient attitude.
Tomorrow will be a long, boring day I think but I will try to make the most of it and look forward to Tuesday evening!
Bought a baguette at tescos
Emailed and read
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