Good-bye to London

That's my girl Boudica!

I've always been interested in Britain, and a photograph of this statue is in one of my books from decades ago on British history.  I remember in 2003, the only other time I've been in London, happening across this statue and just being dumbstruck at seeing what I'd seen in my book for years - not having had any idea back then of where it was - not expecting it at all.  It still attracts my attention today.

I'm not going to post much tonight but will hope to come back to this post and add to it.  It's just after midnight, and tomorrow I make my big change from English-speaking to non-English-speaking country (yes, I know that many or most French people speak English, but it's not going to be the same as being in England, where I feel I can expect it - and I have heard stories about some French people being fed up with tourists and rude about the language thing, so we'll see - tonight I looked up how to say "I'm sorry" in French "Je suis desole" - because I think I'll be doing a lot of it!).  I'll have to make changes I hadn't had to make in my moves from city to city here in the UK - figuring out where to get a new SIM card so I can continue using my phone (which I've relied on heavily as GPS) is one of my main concerns.

St. Paul's Cathedral

Westminster Abbey

 Today was a nice, slow-paced day.  I spent it in worship and also in taking my leave of London, a city that I will miss!  In all my planning I've worked hard to make sure I'm not traveling on Sunday so that I can worship in whatever city I'm in.  Today I attended Sung Eucharist at St. Paul's Cathedral; I have stories about that, but they will have to wait.  I then hung out in London for a few hours while waiting for an evening organ recital at Westminster Abbey.  I took opportunity to check out Shaftesbury Avenue and headed back to Trafalgar Square and the National Gallery and National Portrait Gallery (where I took my leave of the Brontes!).  After the recital at Westminster I found out they had a service as well, so I stayed for that and was so happy that the final hymn was Now Thank We All Our God - my favorite of my favorites!  I will probably never have opportunity to be in Westminster Abbey again, so that was a wonderful way to say "good-bye." 

The hanging out this afternoon wasn't as easy as it could have been, as London was cram-packed for the London Marathon!!!  I felt like I walked a full marathon myself as I went along the Embankment trying to find a place to cross over!  It was quite an event!  It seems I hit London on a week of many events - the Queen's 90th birthday - the Bard's 400th anniversary of death - and the London Marathon - whew!

And so good-bye for now, perhaps, for me, forever to

This royal throne of kings, this sceptred isle,

This earth of majesty  .  .  .

This other Eden, demi-paradise  .  .  .

This happy breed of men, this little world,

This precious stone set in the silver sea  .  .  .

This blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this England.