A Day (or two) in London

I think I've been on a field trip or two since going to Wales and Belgium, but I can't remember much about them! One was to the Houses of Parliament, and the other was to the Inns of Court. Basically, we got to see the House of Lords, which is where all the head honchos of the government meet to work out new laws and stuff. The room is really small and lots of men fit in there at once, and unlike the U.S. government where everyone gets an uninterrupted time to speak, these men must shout to be heard, especially if there is opposition against what he is saying. In the picture below, the Houses of Parliament are made up of everything attached to what we know as "Big Ben." (The bell inside the tower is actually named Ben, not the tower itself!)

The next field trip to the Inns of Court was really more of a walking tour around the Temple area district - where one can go to get a lawyer, or "barrister" as they are called here. There is a lot more that goes with that as well, but me not being a business or law major, I can't remember it all!

Here's a few more random things....I had the privilege of going to see a show called "Stomp." This group takes any random item they wish and use it to make music! Like banging short sticks on a drum, or sliding their feet through sand on the wooden stage, or crinkling newspapers. The whole show was amazing - it lasted over an hour and a half, and the performers had no breaks! I got there literally five minutes before the show started and got a seat for a GREAT price in the second row!! I was so close, I could smell their sweat! Ok, ok, so I know that sounds gross, but it was cool. And I couldn't smell them the entire time... And they didn't say a word the entire time! It was like wordless acting...they did a great job. Here's a picture of me outside the theater. I got some lady to take it for me...that's one of the performers' pictures on the theater behind me - yes they used garbage can lids! So awesome!

I also went to the bank of the Thames to watch the famous Oxford vs. Cambridge boat races last week! It was rainy and cold outside, and I only got to see the students rowing by which lasted all of about 1 minute, and then they were gone! But this is apparently a big deal in London, for everyone and his brother showed up to the bank to watch! (And all with beers, loud singing, sporting the colors of their favorite of the two.) It was quite entertaining to watch all the people get so involved. I rooted for Oxford because I went there a few weeks ago for a field trip, but had never been to Cambridge. Apparently I picked well because Oxford won by a landslide! They had big screens up on the other side of the bank so everyone could see the end. I missed it because of the crowds, but it was an adventure! Here's a picture of that - the Oxford boys are in blue, and Cambridge in white.

Okay, so what next? Oh this past weekend Laura and I went to the Tate Britain museum, then walked along the Thames' South Bank to get to the sister museum called the Tate Modern. They are both dedicated to art, so needless to say we didn't spend much time actually in the museums (it's funny what passes as "modern" art. One display was a long string hanging from the ceiling, with bars of soap with holes in the middle strung all down this string. The soaps were in various stages of useage, some being like new, and some being flattened and nearly gone. That was interesting to say the least. Didn't know soap on a rope was considered art! I may have a future in art after all!!) But the South Bank was cool! And the sun was setting as we walked from one to the other. Here's some of the great pictures I got.

After leaving this incredible site, we rode the tube back to our place and ate at Nando's, a Portuguese chain restaurant that has a certain special kind of spicy chicken. They are also probably the only restaurant in all of London to give out FREE REFILLS!!!! I can't tell you how much I miss those free refills. Anywhere else you can only get one small glass of Coke or Pepsi or whatever and it doesn't last the whole time you're eating! And everything's expensive, so I'm too cheap to get more. Anyway, I had, in total, at least FOUR glasses of Coke, along with my spicy chicken and chips (fries) that made me sweat! It all tasted so good... Here's Laura and I enjoying our drinks.

Thanks for keeping with me this whole blog...it's just a bunch of random stuff I've done in the last two weeks! On Saturday I went to the Portabello Road market and had "real" fish 'n' chips, which translates to - I got a deep fried, greasy, smelly whole fish-looking thing with soggy french fries. Here's me trying to look happy while I eat it...my stomach hated me for it later. I bought two Wedgwood teacups as my "nice" gift to myself while I'm in London. They were expensive, but as long as I can keep from breaking them, it will be a great memory.

I'm headed to Ireland on Thursday!!!! Yay! It should be fun. Everything I've heard from everyone is that it is beautiful. I get back on Saturday evening and will have a relaxing Sunday.

Please pray for me as I finish up my time here. I only have 19 days left. It seems to have gone by so quickly! I do love London, but I feel myself getting restless. It's crazy that I would say I'm bored here, because I'm really not! I just miss all the personal contact with people I know and love. I am trying to make the most of my time, and am slowly ticking off one thing at a time from my list. Yesterday I went to see the Princess Diana Memorial in Hyde Park, where I put my feet in the cold water and just sat watching all the little kids run around and have fun.

I saw the Holocaust Memorial Gardens as well and another beautiful sunset. I finished that off with a trip to Harrods, a HUGE department store in London famous for its brand names! I walked all around the FIVE level store, just in amazement at the people who were shopping to their hearts' content. Some were even doing their grocery shopping there! I know it may not seem like a big deal to most of you, but just to give you an idea of the price range, two small bars of chocolate in the chocolate room (yes a full, LARGE room dedicated JUST to chocolate) was $20. I went to the ladies fashion floor, and picked up a cute pair of flip-flops - yes, they were over $340! Ridiculous prices, just to have a brand name! Oh well. It was an interesting visit.

So anyway, please pray that everything will go well on the Ireland trip and that I will make the most of my time here and put aside my homesickness, so that I will fully enjoy everything God sees fit to show me! I love you all!