Day 3 in London

Day 3 in London was packed with a visit to St. Paul's Cathedral, the British Museum, beers in Soho, and lots of street wandering.  We began in our neighborhood by walking in the early morning lights past well dressed Londoners to the Underground at Queensway. We hopped on and headed to St. Paul's Cathedral, London's largest.  What a massive church- so beautiful, so grand! Four other cathedrals have stood in its place since 800 AD, and St. Paul's history parallels that of England.  We toured the sculptures, monuments and art of the 1st floor, then headed up hundreds of stairs to the Whispering Gallery where we stood at opposite ends of the wide circular dome and faced the wall to whisper to one another. Our voices bounced across the space and sounded like we were next to each other. So cool!  Afterwards, we walked up narrow winding metal stairs to the balcony at the top of the dome.  At the very top, you can walk around and look at the London skyline from up above.  Wow!  What a sight to see!  After descending back down we wandered the Crypt among the heralded dead before returning to the bustling London streets.  

On our way to the British Museum, we wound through narrow alleys and ate falafel with the locals, then bused to Covent Gardens which felt a lot like fisherman's wharf. So, we hurried on pausing only to look at the most colorful shoes ever (see photos). Tea, mummies, and artifacts from around the world at the British Museum. Then, a pint and fish and chips in a little pub- then another pint and another at a neighborhood bar in SOHO where everyone was dressed far more creatively than ourselves and we considered getting haircuts and finding some style of our own... At happy hour the bars spilled people with pints onto the streets and the sun came out. Back in Notting Hill we gorged ourselves on the best Indian food of our life at family owned DURBAR.  Compliments to the chef who  came to our table and shared recipes and stories with us.  A waiter even gave us a swag bag with chocolates, spices and a pen with a flashlight on the end.  We signed the guestbook and all was GREAT until they asked us if we were atheists (since we we are from the USA).  Gavin responded that he believes in "a creative life force", but our budding communion with the staff came to an abrupt end. Sigh- we should have gone with "Carmen is a confirmed Catholic".

Writing this, we are on a train from London to Glasgow, flying past fields, farms and towns. Can't wait for Scotland!