Now I long for Yesterday!

Buckingham PalaceMe outside the British Library, freezing to death in my skirt and sandals

Churchill's bedroom/office in the Cabinet War Rooms

That's Parliament and Big Ben from the London Eye

Cary and Parliament

Another busy day, another great day. We started off this morning by sleeping in a little bit, then walking down Buckingham Palace Road to (you guessed it) Buckingham Palace - only about a 10 minute walk from our hotel. We couldn't go in - you can only do that in August and September - but we were sufficiently impressed with the sheer size of the palace, as well as how far back the grounds go - we passed them on our way to Hyde Park Corner tube station when we were going to church.

We went to the 11:30 service at Holy Trinity Brompton, home of the Alpha Course (and about halfway in between the Victoria and Albert Museum and Harrods). We really enjoyed the service there. It was obvious to us that God is moving there, and it was really great to be in a church like that again. The worship band was awesome - I kept wishing Rick and Jose were there to hear them! The sermon was also very good - about how to live your life as a Christian at work. The guy who was preaching (not Nicky Gumbel) talked about doing good things and being content where you are, rather than thinking about how you could be so much better if only your circumstances were different. There was also an opportunity to get prayed for at the end of the service, which I and a lot of other people took advantage of. The prayer ministry seems to be really gifted, because the woman praying for me definitely said some things I needed to hear. So good stuff! I have to say that up until now, Britain has felt like a very secular country (aside from our time with Nick and Anne Ladd). We have had a great time with all the people we have met, but it was just really nice to meet some other Christians who seemed to be living their faith every day. The only drawback of the service for us was that they didn't incorporate much of the Anglican liturgy, which as Anglicans we both really value. But clearly God is moving there, liturgy or not.

After church we ate a quick lunch on the tube, on our way to the British Library. While I'm on the subject of traveling around town, let me address the fickleness of the English weather (as we were out in it for quite a bit today). Yesterday, the forecast was for heavy rain. So I dressed for that - jeans, a sweater, a rain jacket, and sneakers. The sun came out halfway through the day and it was a beautiful day. Today, the forecast was for light rain. Since "heavy rain" didn't pan out yesterday, I wore a skirt and sandals. It was freezing and rainy all day, and we didn't have time to go back to the hotel, so I just froze and got wet until about 4:00 this afternoon. So yeah, English weather. Not good.

Anyway, after church we headed to the British Library, where they house some of the greatest treasures in English (and world) literature. For someone who loves to read, this was an hour to remember. We saw Charlotte Bronte's handwritten Jane Eyre, some of Shakespeare's First Folios, some handwritten music by Mozart and his marriage license, a New Testament from the 4th century, some pages from Leonardo da Vinci's journals, handwritten lyrics to several Beatles songs (including "Yesterday"), letters and diary entries from all three of Henry VIII's children (Edward VI, Bloody Mary, and Elizabeth I), and an original copy of the Magna Carta. We were both really amazed at what we saw, and were glad we went.

After the Library we took the tube to Trafalgar Square, then walked up Whitehall to the Cabinet War Rooms (Churchill's underground headquarters during WW2). On the way, we passed Downing Street, where Gordon Brown, the Prime Minister, lives. We also got a good view of Westminster Palace, home of Parliament and Big Ben. The Cabinet War Rooms are under the Treasury, and are a really awe-inspiring sight. After the war ended, they were basically closed up and left for 30 or 40 years, which was understandable to me - after six years of working and sometimes living down there, I don't think anyone wanted to stick around to pack up! I would have just wanted to get out of there. It was so humbling to think of Churchill and his staff, struggling to win the war while London was being bombed, planning the strategies that would save their country in the end. Churchill was such an inspiring leader, and it was amazing to imagine him working down there. Definitely one of our favorite experiences in London.

When we finished at the Cabinet War Rooms, it was about 4:00, and I was tired of being wet and cold, so we went back to our hotel and rested for a while. Then, since we have some extra money at the end of our trip, we decided to go to the London Eye and take a ride. The London Eye is a giant Ferris Wheel, except instead of chairs, there are giant glass capsules that about 15 people can go in at a time, and when you get to the top you have a fantastic view of London. We loved it! The wait was not half as long as we expected, and the view really was magical. The Eye is right across the Thames from Westminster Palace and Abbey, which look great anywhere, especially from the air. I kept thinking of Mary Poppins, at the very beginning of the movie when you get a view of London from the air and Mary Poppins is sitting on a cloud powdering her nose. It looked just like that, except that some of the skyscrapers are taller than St. Paul's now. Seeing Big Ben made both of us think of Peter Pan and the Darling children flying past. I guess we have some serious Disney movie-watching to do when we get home! We were both really glad we did the Eye - a great way to start to wrap up our trip.

Tomorrow is our last day in Britain. We are a little sad, but mostly we're happy because we had a great trip and we're ready to come home. We miss everyone and we want to be in our own bed again. But for now, we're going to have a great last day. We are planning to head to the tkts booth again tomorrow morning to see if we can get matinee tickets to Avenue Q, a musical with puppets that looks to be a combination of Sesame Street and Rent - puppets dealing with problems that a 24-year-old might face, rather than a 3-year-old. It's supposed to be really good, and I don't think they tour, so hopefully we can get tickets. Other than that, we want to go back to Trafalgar Square and spend a little more time there, and then go to Westminster Abbey. Other than that, our plan is to get packed, eat at Jenny Lo's again, and get a good night's sleep. Cary will let you know tomorrow how that goes. We will see you all very soon!

-Emily