Typical Tourists!
It's been so great to get to "do" London for 2 days. We've packed in as much sightseeing as we could, and now we're ready to pack our suitcases and head for our home and native land. It's certainly been a culture shock to be back in the Western world where everything is fast, accessible, and expensive!
Yesterday we took a guided "walking tour" of Notting Hill (saw all the places in the movie!), experienced the Portabello road market that I've dreamed of going to since I was a child, and went to the famous Harrod's department store. I proudly bought an "elderly" (but not quite antique) silver teapot at the street market, but could not even afford a pair of socks at Harrod's! We had fun riding around in double-decker busses and sipping cappuccinos at beautiful streetside cafes. Jessica and I also toured the Kensington Palace and saw an original collection of Princess Diana's dresses and portraits. I must sheepishly admit that she was a childhood hero of mine and I loved the chance to see where she had lived.
Today our bus route took us past St. Paul's cathedral, so on a whim, we decided to have a look at it up close. As we climbed the massive steps to the sounds of ringing churchbells, we realized that the Sunday morning service was about to start. So, we took a seat along with hundreds of others to worship in this incredibly historical place. It turned out to be one of the most beautiful services I've ever experienced. The "worship band" was the London Sinfonia, the "worship team" were the St. Paul's boys choir, and of course the sanctuary was breathtaking! Our girls were amazed by this experience. It was very cool for a bunch of Baptists like us to worship in a huge Anglican cathedral and strongly feel God's presence there.
This afternoon consisted of a walk along the Thames River, over the Tower Bridge, and a tour of "The Tower of London". It was Jessica's dream to visit this rather ominous historical landmark that housed kings and queens and criminals of great notoriety. We also saw the "crown jewels". Strangely all I could think about was how much of an extravagant waste those jewels are, and how much Africa could benefit from the sharing of this wealth.
Tomorrow morning we will head to the airport shortly after breakfast, and hope to be back on Canadian soil by mid afternoon! Hopefully, we'll have the energy to post some pictures when we are back.
Yesterday we took a guided "walking tour" of Notting Hill (saw all the places in the movie!), experienced the Portabello road market that I've dreamed of going to since I was a child, and went to the famous Harrod's department store. I proudly bought an "elderly" (but not quite antique) silver teapot at the street market, but could not even afford a pair of socks at Harrod's! We had fun riding around in double-decker busses and sipping cappuccinos at beautiful streetside cafes. Jessica and I also toured the Kensington Palace and saw an original collection of Princess Diana's dresses and portraits. I must sheepishly admit that she was a childhood hero of mine and I loved the chance to see where she had lived.
Today our bus route took us past St. Paul's cathedral, so on a whim, we decided to have a look at it up close. As we climbed the massive steps to the sounds of ringing churchbells, we realized that the Sunday morning service was about to start. So, we took a seat along with hundreds of others to worship in this incredibly historical place. It turned out to be one of the most beautiful services I've ever experienced. The "worship band" was the London Sinfonia, the "worship team" were the St. Paul's boys choir, and of course the sanctuary was breathtaking! Our girls were amazed by this experience. It was very cool for a bunch of Baptists like us to worship in a huge Anglican cathedral and strongly feel God's presence there.
This afternoon consisted of a walk along the Thames River, over the Tower Bridge, and a tour of "The Tower of London". It was Jessica's dream to visit this rather ominous historical landmark that housed kings and queens and criminals of great notoriety. We also saw the "crown jewels". Strangely all I could think about was how much of an extravagant waste those jewels are, and how much Africa could benefit from the sharing of this wealth.
Tomorrow morning we will head to the airport shortly after breakfast, and hope to be back on Canadian soil by mid afternoon! Hopefully, we'll have the energy to post some pictures when we are back.
posted by Stay Well at
3:23 p.m.
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