Recap Part 2

Monday

Amy, Minnie and I walked all the way down Oxford Street to check out the paddle boats at Hyde Park.  Tons of people were out shopping, though, and it took longer than expected to fight the crowds out on the streets!  By the time we got to the park and looked around, we had to leave to get to Westminster Abbey in time for the Evensong service.  Unlike the service at St. Martin-in-the-Fields, there was much pomp and circumstance.  The church really is amazing on that grand level, and the boys' choir sounded angelic in the space.  I will have to go back for a tour of the Abbey sometime.

Tuesday

The forecast for Tuesday was 80 degrees and sunny, so Minnie, Abigail and I headed over to Hyde Park for a picnic and paddle boating.  There were tons of people enjoying the weather in the park, including one guy who was sunbathing in just his boxer-briefs!  Later that evening, a large group of us went to the London Eye, which is basically a huge ferris wheel with enclosed capsules for groups to see London from the sky.  We had some great views as the sun set and the city lights came to life.  Parliament and Big Ben were especially impressive all lit up on the bank of the Thames. 

Wednesday

We visited the National Portrait Gallery, the lesser known and lesser visited gallery just behind the National Gallery.  It was really interesting to see the progression of history and painting styles along with all of the historical information on the monarchs and their minions.  In the evening, we enjoyed "Jazz in the Crypt" at St. Martin-in-the-Fields.  It was pretty eerie to hang out in a crypt all evening, but hey - the bread pudding was good!

Thursday

After dawdling a bit in the afternoon, Minnie and I checked out the British Museum, which is literally a stone's throw from the study centre and our flat.  The vast amount of information and artifacts was pretty overwhelming, and we didn't last too long among the crowds.  We got some pretty good pizza (real Italian style) at a little restaurant just a few blocks from the museum and our flats, and then headed back to pick up some more people for Spamalot!  We went to the box office about an hour before the show to get discount tickets.  The eight of us were split into two groups, but hey! our tickets were only 25 pounds (I am trying not to think about the dollars...)  It was a really fun show, and I can't wait to see more musicals here at the West End!

Friday

The weather was perfect for our cruise down the Thames to Greenwich.  I didn't even put two and two together about the whole prime meridian thing until we got there (duh).  We had falafel and onion bhaji pitas (mmm) at the Greenwich Market before climbing the hill to the observatory.  The view of Greenwich and of the London skyline was fantastic, and I got the obligatory photo of myself at the prime meridian.  In the evening, we attended another concert at St. Martin-in--the-Fields (man, I've been there a lot!)  During one of the Vivaldi pieces, the conductor turned around and sang a countertenor solo.  Anyway... there were two fantastic soprano soloists, and as it was the 4th of July, the choir sang two Eric Whitacre pieces and the orchestra played Barber's Adagio for Strings.

And so... that brings me to today!  I was thinking about checking out the Pride parade this afternoon, but it's supposed to rain all morning and into the afternoon.  Hmm.  I'm also itching to see another musical...