one of our first stops was the british library. now, i'm not usually very fond of museum-type attractions, but this was really cool. there is a room filled with old books and writings on different subjects, all kept under glass. they have some of jane austen's writings [these are originals mind you] and the codex sinaitcius, which is the world's oldest complete christian bible. i feel like i should say that was my favorite, but my true favorite was in the music section. they had one area dedicated to the beatles, with papers where they had scribbled down lyrics for songs. and my very, very favorite...handel's messiah. in the flesh. i think i teared up a bit when i first saw it. they also had headphones on the wall so you could listen to the pieces you were looking at, so i had a grand time listening to the hallelujah chorus as i looked at the music.
next i made a quick detour to hogwarts...unfortunately there was no photography allowed and i was sworn to secrecy, so i can't tell you what it was like. you'll have to read the books. but i was able to take a photo on my way in.
platform 9 3/4 @ kings cross
in the evening we ended up at westminster abbey just in time for the evensong [which you can attend for free]. the service was centered around martin luther king jr. and his message of hope, since it was the 40th anniversary of his assassination. we didn't get a chance to see william wilberforce's grave, but i liked the experience of attending a service there.
our last surprise find of the day came at the train station. we headed back to paddington to grab some dinner and wait for our train back to oxford, and all of a sudden a live band started playing! not just a few random musicians, a full 20-ish piece band playing some good tunes. it was mostly older folks, but it was great entertainment as we were waiting.
and that was our day in london.
1 comment:
sounds like a great day! LOVE the Platform 9 3/4 picture!
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