London!

No, I haven't been loafing around since my last post consuming vast quantities of crumpets and tea (although large quantities would not be inaccurate), we've in fact had an extremely busy few days in the studio. 

As you'll see above, there are slightly more buildings/people in this picture than in the ones I posted last.  Hastingleigh is not experiencing sudden urban sprawl, we in fact went to London on Thursday.  Our purpose was expressly to see a concert at Wigmore Hall in the evening, on which William Bennett was featured.  But five of the six of us went up in the morning to experience a little London first.

We were met at St. Pancras Station upon our arrival by none other than:

Bonnie Jean!! 

The joyous reunion of two giggling anglophiles from way back (apologies again to all teachers of English at Seattle Christian Schools from 1997-2003) was only slightly delayed by my forgetting you have to put your train ticket through the turn-stiles before the gates open to let you out, and that you have to use the ones with green arrows, not red crosses, which are for people coming the other way.  You should probably also stay out of the way of people charging toward the turn-stiles with purposeful expressions as you stand there useless and confused.  Just a little advise for future travelers - I think Rick Steves has a chapter on it somewhere. . .

In any case, once I figured out how to leave the platform, off we went!  First (naturally) the British Library:

were we peeked in on Shakespeare, Jane Austen, the Magna Carta, and a very nice ladies' room.  Then off to Trafalgar Square, Nelson, and the Church of St. Martin in the Fields:

Convent Garden (where I found a shop selling pug tee-shirts):

Swung by Bonnie's place of employment:

And now a word from our sponsor:

(Bonnie dresses the guy on the left - just for the show, otherwise he can do it himself. . . I hope)

a bit of gratuitous London-y-ness

Popped in on the Queen:

(Her doorman said she was out.) 

And hit the parks:

Beautiful fall day, beautiful city, great friend, and a great concert at the end of the day!  As Thursdays go, it was a pretty fantastic one (and I didn't get lost on the tube!!  Thanks, Bonnie!)

Clever girl that she is, Bonnie came up with a map at the end of the day to track were we'd been:

(we're the black line)

Not bad for two girls who used to consider P.E. class cruel and unusual!

The concert that night was quite wonderful - Wigmore Hall is essentially to London chamber music what Carnegie Hall is to New York.  We heard Wibb play a Haydn trio and a piece by Ferdinand Ries (Romantic) for flute and string quintet.  Really wonderful string playing, and the place was absolutely packed.  I really got the sense, both from Bonnie's tour of her theaters and the concert that night, that London is a place that really appreciates and values the arts.  This is the cue for everyone at home to write their congressman.  Sis, I know your friend Patty's a bit busy with the super-committee at the moment, but see what you can do.

That's all for now - have to get ready for Sunday morning tea and cake with the village!  (It always comes back to pastry.)

Much Love,

Kristin