Last Day in London (Day 5)

Our last day in London we took our time in the morning to repack our things so we'd be ready to leave for our very early flight. Then around noon mom and I headed to Westminster Abbey for a communion service which meant we got to see the nave of the abbey for free (like I did when I went to the organ recital there in December). We did look around a little and saw where Charles Darwin is buried in scientists' corner. Too bad poets' corner isn't in the nave. All I really want is to see Shakespeare. :(

The service was fine, I like the sharing of the peace. Telling people "peace be with you" seems like a good thing to do. During the communion, since we don't normally take communion, we got a blessing from the (fairly young) priest instead, and I'm down with the whole "light and love of God be with you" idea, too.

After the service we took an unfortunately roundabout way of getting to Harrods and therefore didn't have much time there, but we got to see some expensive clothes, the memorial to Princess Diana, and in the windows outside there were lots of crowns designed by famous designers as well as a replica of Queen Elizabeth's coronation dress (again for the jubilee). Very sparkly.

Then it was time for tea! We had made reservations the day before for us and Kerry to have afternoon tea at St. Paul's because we planned to go to evensong at the cathedral. We ended up having lots of problems with the underground because of signal delays, so we ended up taking a cab and still being 15 minutes late. On the way we got to see some parts of London we hadn't been to though, so it wasn't too bad.

Tea was awesome. Mom and I both had peppermint tea while Kerry had chamomile (bit of a stressful day, she had). They brought over a tiered platter with three kinds of finger sandwiches (cucumber and butter, egg salad and watercress, and salmon and cream), biscuits with clotted cream and jam, and for dessert some little ginger cookies and custard tarts with berries and grapes(?) on top. Three of everything, a mini serving for each of us, and it was all delicious. While we were eating a group of five clergymen came in - among them the young priest from St. Paul's. Crazy.

Crazier still was that all of the sudden we were rushed out at 4:30 - half an hour before their tea times end, because of a function happening in the crypt, where the restaurant was. We weren't asked to pay or told how much we owed or anything, and we kind of hesitatingly walked to the door, but no one stopped us so we left. Three free teas for the price of one taxi ride wasn't so bad. Thanks, St. Paul!

Turns out the priests or whatever and the function were part of the service we were going to - not a regular evensong service at all, but the installation of the very reverend David John Ison as the dean of St. Paul's. We made it through over an hour of long hymns we couldn't sing along to and a sermon and a parade of church officials (and I know what a virger is now) before we respectfully left during the stat of yet another hymn, which wasn't the last.

Mom and I thought about going to the Victoria and Albert museum, which is open late on Fridays, but we were all tired so instead the three of us went to a pub by Kerry's for dinner and a pint. Despite being a traditional
English pub, the place served Thai food, but it was very good and we were hungry, so no complaints for sure. Kerry and I had originally planned to go out dancing that night, but both still being tired, we decided to buy a bottle of Bailey's continuing our tradition and drink at home and take a nap before leaving at 2 am to head for the bus to the bus to the bus to the airport. Yep.

So much thanks and love to Kerry for all her hospitality and for making us laugh and thinking we're funny instead of absolutely nuts. Can't wait to see you in NYC next time!

And then, we were on to Madrid...