Thoughts on my first full day in London

There is too much to say to just make a Facebook status. I have posted photos from today in the "London 2013" album if anyone is interested, you can find them there.

We began the day with a plan to see the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace. This happens every other day and today was it, but as we approached the Palace, we found the streets blocked off and a large crowd forming and police everywhere. Karen is our question queen and so she found out that there was to be a military processional with a band and and runners carrying a baton representing the kickoff for the passing of said baton around the world to all of the Commonwealth countries prior to the Commonwealth games next year. We also learned that the Queen might make an appearance to pass the baton. So, we hung around and worked our way through the crowd a bit and managed to get a glimpse of Her Highness on the large video screen! I never imagined that this would happen while I was here. What a treat, even if her hat was one of the ugliest things that I have ever witnessed. We were not able to see the changing of the guard but we will catch that another day. It was while we were waiting in line that I heard the first of three of four precious gems that I heard from the mouths of warm and wonderful Brits that we struck up conversations with throughout our day. We were standing next to a family who were wondering if the Queen would really make an appearance and so they asked the policeman standing near us and he responded that she may or may not, depending upon how she felt. The man then followed up by asking, "Is there not some kind of protocol surrounding such things?" The policemen got the cutest twinkle in his eye and then he said, "The protocol is whatever she says it will be." It was adorable. And we got to see Sir Chris Hoy running with the torch in a kilt. Very nice.

From the Palace we wandered through St. James Park and it is so beautiful. We saw the most monstrous pelicans that I have ever seen. And they were NOT afraid of humans, but we were nervous about them. We made our way through the park over to the Parliament Square area with the intention of seeing both Westminster Abbey and Westminster Hall. When we got to the Abbey complex we first went into St. Margaret Chapel. It was so gorgeous and intimate, I fell in love with that building and it was delightful to find an Edward Lloyd buried there who was noted for his work as a printer and a wordsmith. I am SURE that I MUSt be related to him! As we moved into the Abbey itself and approached the man distributing the self guided tour handsets (it is a working church and services are often going on and so the tourists must make their way through in such a way as to keep it very reverent inside) he looked up and grinned and scolded Erin for taking a photo (photography is not allowed) and then grinned and said, "You must be Americans." Karen and Erin explained that they were originally Canadians but that we are all now Americans. He said he had no doubt that we were all from North America. His reply was intriguing to me when I asked how he knew we were North Americans. He said, "Because from the moment you walked through the doors you were happy, I could see it from all the way across the room. Americans are happy, Brits are not. You left and you took the happiness with you. It is like you decided that you wanted to be a happy people and so you broke away from the motherland and made your own, happy place and people." I thought he might be joking, but upon talking with him further, I realized that he was quite serious. In many ways, coming here to London has felt like a homecoming, but in that moment, it just washed over me how grateful I am to be an American and to be part of a happy people. We are so blessed and the liberties that we take for granted truly do make us a happy people. We need to fight to keep both these liberties and this happiness. We are in danger of losing both I fear.

Westminster Abbey was amazing. It is grandiose and yet there places of deep intimacy tucked away throughout the edifice. It was so beautiful. I just cannot express how I felt in there. However, the restriction on taking photos was a wee bit sad. I am grateful for such a rule, places of deeply spiritual importance should be shown such reverence, but there were things that I wish I could have come away with a photo memory of. I would have to say that my favorite part of the Abbey was Poets Corner. I will be posting a saying from one of my VERY favorite authors that is stated on this author's memorial plaque as my status in the morning. Seeing Chaucer's grave was awe inspiring, as were a number of other tombs, in particular Edward the Confessor. Something special about that one. I picked up a chart for my kids that shows the kings of England, with dear King Egbert right up there at the top. We were starved after leaving the Abbey and so we asked an Abbey worker on our way out and he directed us to a pub down the street that was perfect. And we sat and talked and laughed. We were very obviously Americans but I think that is good after what our friend in the Abbey said!

After lunch we wandered until the line going into Westminster Hall went away and then around 5:30 we were able to get into the Hall. This was a place that I was really looking forward to seeing as it is the Hall built by Richard II and I have been studying that play in preparation to seeing the play in Stratford and the idea of being in a building that was built in the 1300's was so intense. It was everything that I hoped it would be and more. We were able to not only see the building but we had the opportunity to witness a debate in the House of Commons over a government transparency bill. That was extremely interesting. And that led to my third most wonderful statement by a Brit today. After the government made their case on the second reading of the bill, a Scottish MP stood up and said, "That was such a pile of dog breakfast" in a super heavy Scottish brogue. I just about fell off of the bench up there in the gallery. Totally made my evening. We watched for a time and then struck up a conversation with an off duty policeman that was also there observing and learned more about the politics of the UK and then we walked out and got further information from a very nice security officer on the exit gates. Now I understand where things stand politically a bit better.

We wrapped up our day with wonderful curries in our home neighborhood and then Karen telling us British jokes until our tummies hurt. They do have a sense of humor, even if we took all of the happiness with us. We now continue the debate over whether or not we are indeed a happier people, we loud and crass Americans...what do you think?