"English. Who Needs That? I'm Never Going to England." Homer (Simpson)

Yesterday was a glorious day! It needs to be described in chapters (which, by the way, are illustrated!)

1. Train Ride
I woke up at 4:30, showered, looked up a few last-minute details, then headed for the train station to catch my ride to London (England, by the way...kidding). Another incident where I can see God taking care of every detail of this trip - the fact that many trains back and forth to and from London are cancelled because of the recent fire in the Tunnel, however, and I quote the ticket lady, "ah yes - yours is one of the few ones running today". I bought these tickets before anything went wrong. It's just...neat. :)

Anyway, the morning was as beautiful as a poem. I watched the sun rise over the French countryside. The morning fog caught the first rays of the day and lit everything up in a golden haze. Beautiful! And very good weather for this part of the world (at least I tend to think it rare).

And here's a very, very tired me on the train.



Unfortunately, I couldn't find Norbert this morning. But I just had to remind myself that he's been to the airport already.


2. Arrival and Stop 1
Got into King's Cross/St. Pancras station, purchased a ticket for the underground, and started on my way. One thing to note about the "tube" - a very kind, British voice speaks up at every metro stop and says "Mind the gap, please, between the train and the platform. Please mind the gap." As a present to...me...I now have a t-shirt that has the symbol for the London underground with the phrase "Mind the gap" aross the front of it.

I stopped at Piccadilly Circle for a minute or two - it was okay, but too early for the shops to be open and I wasn't in the market.


Saw this advertisement! Reason #8 million and one why London is so neat!


Stop 2: Buckingham Palace

I got back on the metro and went to the Palace.


I was in the line to purchase a ticket to go in when I realized that I didn't really want to go in that badly. I've visited the Royal Palace in Brussels, and I kind of knew what to expect from Buckingham - luxury and grandeur. The whole tour of the palace idea didn't really groove well with me, so I decided to mosey into St. James's Park.

The weather was wonderful, so everybody was out and about. It was just what I needed - waterfowl, trees, flowers, and squirrels.


One of the reasons London was so much fun: Londoners. They make me chuckle - I heard several people verbally say how excited they were to see squirrels in the park, and saw two people whip out cameras when the little rodents scurried their way.



I continued my mosey on toward the stables for the Household Cavalry horses, where I watched the changing of the guard. Very neat!

In addition, I went into the little Museum they had set up there, which was very well done and very enjoyable for a former horse owner! I could smell the horses in the stalls that were set up - there's nothing like that smell!
Stop 3: I meandered through the city, thinking I was going in the general direction of the Houses of Parliament. I was right. Here it is!
Stop 4: Directly after taking pictures of Ben and company (Ben has a wonderful tone to his voice, by the way. He doesn't sing, exactly - but when he talks, it's in a musical way), I went to Westminster Abbey. I wasn't able to take pictures on the inside, but it was definitely worth the visit! What a neat collection of dead people and their stone beds and memorials! Saw Mary Queen of Scots, Geoffry Chaucer, and a few others. Kind of nifty!


Stop 5: I walked from Westminster over to the Globe Theater, where I watched a production of Timon of Athens - I hadn't ever heard of it before, but it was a very enjoyable play! The actors and actresses often went right through the standing crowd and threw things into the crowd (of which I avoided the water, but managed to secure a chocolate coin and streamer). I was one of those standing. Neat experience!


To wrap up my day, I walked along the Thames River for a bit. It flows very rapidly compared to the sleepy rivers back home.
Here's the Tower Bridge, which I walked across.

And, though I didn't go in, the Tower of London.
Harry Potter fans, eat your heart out! King's Cross station! Didn't manage to get onto platform 9 3/4....but there's always next time.

And St. Pancras station - my train is on the right.

I've met some pretty neat people while traveling. Last night, I met a German man who travels all over the place to follow his favorite football team, the Layton Orients. We had a nice time chatting. It was a nice end to a busy day - making a friend on the train.


Later days and Love from Brussels!
Gracie