During the night, the last of our clouds disappeared. With the rising of the sun, London was
blessed with a clear blue sky. After a
leisurely breakfast we strolled past the Old Street Tube station in search of a
store that would stock knee high hose to protect my feet and toes from blisters
from all the walking. I had been so used
to summer sandals that I had forgotten what real shoes are like. The desk clerk at our hotel had suggested we
try Argos which we found in a shopping area a block beyond the tube. Just going in was a true experience. We finally figured out that we had to type in
what we wanted at a terminal and then, if it was in stock, we would pick it up
and pay one of the attendants. We tried
every way we could think to name knee high stockings, but never found
them. We did find a store carrying
clothing on our way back to the tube. We
found exactly what we were looking for, purchased a package and set off for another
day in London.
We needed to check our balance on our Oyster cards since
they had gotten a lot of use the last couple of days. The helpful attendant Craig was there this
morning and he showed us how it was
done, we popped in some more cash, and we
were on our way to Leicester Square.
When we were here thirty-one years ago, we got some real bargains on
theater tickets but that was before the number of visitors had risen to the
level that it has now. We thought it was
worth a shot.
The square is loaded with American Chains, everything from a
Radisson Hotel to TGI Fridays. It is
also loaded with tourists speaking a whole lot of different languages. We knew that the best chance of inexpensive
tickets would be for a matinee today, but we had other plans for this
afternoon. Anyway, we enjoyed our visit
to the square, visited the ticket booth, and picked up a bagel sandwich for a
snack after we got to Westminster Square.
We people watched.
This was the first time we saw a Muslim Woman completely covered. Most have had scarves but showed some of
their faces. This one actually even wore
gloves so that all that showed were her eyes.
The square in front of the cathedral and next to the parliament buildings
complete with Big Ben was full of people enjoying the beautiful September
day. We sat behind the Churchill statue,
shared our bagel and drank our water.
We were facing the South side of The Collegiate Church of
St. Peter at Westminster commonly referred to as Westminster Abbey.
After Klep
got himself an ice cream cone, we headed to the Western Door of the Cathedral. To get to the queue for Evensong. Trip Advisor had advised that we should get
there an hour before the service and we did.
There were about twenty in line when we got here and there were over
five hundred in the service. We had a
pleasant conversation with a couple of young women from Salt Lake City who flew
over yesterday and are flying to Ireland for a road trip for a week. We shared ideas and enjoyed chatting until
the security line started and we went into the abbey.
Before the service, I just sat and enjoyed the peace and the
beauty of the organ music as I gazed up at the wonderful stained glass windows
on the North Side. At three, the service
started. The choir was wonderful. Today was the day that the choir boys who had
completed their first year of training received their surplices and were
challenged to do well. Afterwards
another group of older boys took an oath and were recognized.
Our sermon was on the necessity to love one another even
when we have trouble liking someone. It
was a good one.
After the service, we stayed until most of the people had
filed out just to enjoy the last little bit of organ music.
By the time we made our way back by Big Ben, across the
street, into Westminster Tube Station, over to Monument Station, and to Old
Street, we were ready for supper and a much needed rest.
We chose a Thai place just down the street. I had noodles and chicken with sprouts and
lime. Klep had stir fry with
prawns. Both dishes were excellent. We called it a day. It’s been a beautiful Sunday.
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