Highlights

So I didn't have internet much for the last half of tour, especially while we were in London, so I'll just do a quick overview post of some of my favorite things that happened, and you can see all the pictures on my Dropbox and ask questions if you want.

1. Stonehenge and the London Temple

We were obnoxious Americans and decided to make our own Stonehenge. We made it into the photos of lots of Asian tourists too. :)

We were told that Stonehenge would probably be disappointing and not as big as we expected, but I loved it! I thought it was awesome. Plus, the random herds of sheep roaming around just completed the scene. I was really glad that we got to stop at the temple. We didn't get to go in because we only had half an hour, but it was still wonderful to walk around the grounds.

2. Bournemouth/Poole

My hair's a little crazy in this one...

This is now on my list of favorite places. It's in the south, right along the coast, so it has gorgeous, sandy beaches. And if you follow the coast north a bit, the beaches turn pebbly, with rolling green hills turning into cliffs and the shore, dropping into the water below. We got some time to see the ocean, though we didn't go down to the water, and it was beautiful. Even better? We stayed with an older couple whose names were Peter and Wendy. :) How precious is that?! They were wonderful and invited us back anytime to stay with them. Also, Whitney and I got put in charge of singing time on Sunday, so that was a fun adventure. Time to brush up on my Children's Hymn playing...

3. The Eagle and Child Pub

This is the small pub in Oxford where C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien along with some friends would meet every Tuesday to discuss book ideas. So of course we had to stop in for some fish and chips. I sat and wrote another post card to NY that started, "Well, I'm sitting in a pub in Oxford being served by a cute guy." :)

4. Platform 9 3/4 and the British Library

Jane Austen's writing desk and a story written to her sister, Cassandra

Possibly my favorite thing I saw. Jane Eyre written in Charlotte Bronte's own hand, opened to the very last page. Ah!!!

Beethoven's tuning fork. NBD.

Yesterday was originally scrawled onto a napkin.

Gotta hit Kings Cross, right? :) And the British Library was possibly my favorite place to visit. I LOVED seeing all those old drafts of novels written in the authors' own hands. We sat and stared at the outlines for Handel's Messiah as well as other famous works by Beethoven, Mozart, etc. I stared at Leonardo Da Vinci's notes on Mathematics, Anatomy, and Arithmetic (because it's different from mathematics...). I saw THE Magna Carta from 1215, as well as a revised edition from 1225. The oldest thing I found there were 2 small scraps of papyrus with the Gospel of St. John written in Greek on them, dating back to the 3rd century. Wow. I was in awe.

4. Singing in St. Paul's Cathedral and going to Singin' In The Rain

from the top dome at St. Paul's

St. Paul's happens to be on the same street as the demon barber...

What an incredible day that was. Technically, we weren't allowed to take pictures in St. Paul's, except for our tour photographer, so you'll have to go to the tour blog to see better pictures of it. What other American choir can say they've sung there? It was a bit of a spiritual experience as well because someone pointed out that this was a place that our ancestors, as peasants, would not have been welcome here, so it was a bit like returning home and showing what we've made of ourselves. Fun fact: Brigham Young spent 3 days here, studying the architecture before drawing plans for the tabernacle in Salt Lake. That night, I went to Singin' in the Rain, almost by myself (Jason was up in the balcony with his mom and grandma and I was on the ground floor), and loved every minute of it. It made me happy, and for the most part, I was impressed with the American accents.

Back in Provo now. I start voice lessons this morning again. And it's warm and sunny. :)