“If you are speaking of music...it is of all subjects my delight. There are few people in England I suppose, who have more true enjoyment of music than myself, or a better natural taste." - Lady Catherine deBourgh in Pride and Prejudice
7:30 Breakfast at Hotel
One of the best spreads we've seen and included loads of fruit.
8:30 Uber 20 min to Hyde Park Chapel. Belal from Bangladesh was our driver. He has been here since he was a baby, so he has a British accent.
9:00 Hyde Park Chapel sacrament meeting and Relief Society
Hyde Park Chapel
In 1954 David O. McKay directed that property be found for a chapel in London. The Church bought land on a site that had been bombed during World War II and not restored. Pres. McKay dedicated the building in 1961. The structure is presently a multi-use facility, serving as a chapel, family history center, and a visitors’ center. The building houses two wards and a branch.
Mom bore her testimony, as did some other visitors. I love how the music and Gospel lessons are the same all around the world. There were several Americans and a few people from other countries. Lovely ward.
We learned about the history of Hyde Park Chapel in the visitors center a.k.a. the halls of the church building.
The Victoria and Albert Museum is just a couple minutes walk down the street.
Free admission - “The best collection of decorative arts anywhere” - Rick Steves
We were glad we took time to see this enormous and incredible museum, though we only had time to see a small part of it.
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| Art students in the sculpture garden |
Taxi 10 min. to Old Queen Street Cafe
Our first Taxi ride. Black, super spacious inside, with a glass top, which we loved. We didn't love the plexiglass divider in-between us and the driver which made it hard to communicate.
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| Glass roof |
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| Fancy fish and chips for Mom, salmon and buckwheat salad for me |
Mom fell asleep at the table after lunch. We were SO tired.
Walked three minutes to Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey is a Royal Anglican church. Since 1066, it has been the location of the coronations of 40 English and British monarchs, and a burial site for 18 English, Scottish, and British monarchs. At least 16 royal weddings have occurred at the abbey since 1100, including William and Kate. Some famous individuals buried at Westminster Abbey include Sir Isaac Newton, Stephen Hawking, Charles Dickens, Queen Elizabeth I and King Henry VII. A. There are over 3000 tombs at Westminster Abbey.
4:00 Got in line at Westminster Abbey
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| It's very easy to capture a red double decker bus in a photo. They are everywhere |
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| Building across the street |
We were near the front of a VERY long queue, and Mom did amazingly well at standing for forty-five minutes. I got the cutest souvenirs in the Abbey gift shop while Mom saved our place. We were let in the Abbey at about 4:45
5:00 Westminster Abby Organ recital (30 min)
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| The organ pipes are gray, on the left and right walls above the gold gate. It sounded amazing!   After the organ recital, Mom mailed her postcards in a letter box that had been painted gold when London hosted the 2012 Olympic Games. Then we walked past Parliament and Big Ben and across Westminster Bridge over the Thames. We bought some desserts at the M&S which was weirdly part of the hospital. |
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| A different side of Westminster Abbey |
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| Big Ben again! |
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| Monument to honor nurse Mary Seacole |
Uber to Radisson Hotel with Mohammed from Bangladesh. He was one of my favorite drivers for sure. Nice conversation. He wins for having the most kids of any our drivers - three.
At the hotel, we ate our treats and our last of Mom's brew and packed up our things.
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| Ask me if I chose the sponge cake just so I could include the quote below. I'm such a nerd |
"You know how interesting the purchase of a sponge-cake is to me."
- Jane Austen, 1808
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| Radisson Blu Edwardian Kenilworth London Hotel. How's that for a long enough name? |
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| Several of our hotels had this style of tub with the half glass door. |
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| All of our hotels had a towel rack / heater. Only two of them had the heat turned on. |
“Look with mercy on the sins we have this day committed and in mercy make us feel them deeply, that our repentance may be sincere, and our resolutions steadfast of endeavoring against the commission of such in future.” from Jane Austen's evening prayers
