All is well!  My new camera arrived in the mail today, and I'm very pleased with it.  It's tiny (it would easily fit in an altoid tin--perfect for travel!), and it has digital zoom, a picture setting, and a silent movie option.  Needless to say, it's nothing like my old camera, and the shots it takes are only mediocre, but I think I got a pretty darn good deal for 11 pounds.  Plus, it came with a neat little carrying case and it allowed me to transfer all the pictures from my old camera onto my computer.  In other words, I'm back in business!  Keep checking my website for picture updates.

Hmm. . .what else can I say to help me procrastinate recording the day's events?  I know!  I did laundry for the first time last night.  I decided to warsh mah linens the all-out old-fashioned way, so I scrubbed things in my sink and made a clothesline from my light to my closet.  It was a very creative and very exhausting endeavor (or "endeavour" as I ought to spell it now!).

Okay.  I've got to take courage and write about the day.  Don't worry--nothing awful has happened!   In fact, so much that was thrilling and incredible took place today that I don't know if I have the strength or time to do justice to it all.  I was on the go constantly from 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM.  Well, here goes:  "Let's start at the very beginning. . ."

As I readied myself for the day, I was very conscious of my appearance.  Did I look refined?  Did I look intelligent?  Would I represent Arizona well when I met the Lord Mayor of London?  I had a very vague idea about Lord Mayors in general, but I knew they were important people.  Later in the day, I would discover that that they were even more important than I'd imagined; that they exercise a lot of power over both Parliament and the monarchy and that they are highly revered throughout England.  But back to my morning preparations:

I pulled on my freshly-laundered clothing (barely dry from hanging on my makeshift clothesline), grabbed a pair of walking shoes (I stuffed my fancier, foot-mutilating heels in my backpack), made a couple of final adjustments to my hair, and headed out the door.  I left a bit early so that I could visit St. Paul's on my way to Guildhall.  (Note:  The night before, I’d unexpectedly discovered that if I manually pulled out the lens on my old camera, it would allow me to take pictures.  I was thrilled!  St. Paul's really made an impression on me, and I was glad to be able to document my experience with photos.)  Every time I looked at St. Paul’s, "Feed the Birds" from Mary Poppin started playing in my head.  :-)  The whole church is so beautiful, and the dome really is such a London icon.  I didn't want to pay the 12 pounds for admission to the interior, but I did step inside and see what I could from behind the gate.  I was immediately struck by the incredible detail evident in every aspect of the architecture and the pristine look of the whole place.  The cathedral near my apartment is all blacks, golds, silvers, and rich mahoganys and blues.  St. Paul's is almost completely white.

After St. Paul's, I dropped by the visitors center to get directions to Guildhall.  I'm great when it comes to using the tubes, but when it's time to locate actual buildings on actual streets, I'm completely clueless!  I hate wasting time wandering around, so I've learned to just ask Londoners for directions.  I drop into shops at least ten times a day to ask for directions, and most people are very friendly and helpful.  :-)

I finally (hallelujah!) located Guildhall after someone drew me a very clear map, and had a chance to admire the building as I changed into my "fancy" shoes and waited for the other scholars to arrive.  Guildhall is a lovely place with a very daunting exterior.  Black cars with flags drive in and out of the gates, and red-coated guards with tall, feathered hats stand by signs that read, "Authorized Personnel Only."  To think that I was soon to be admitted to that elite group of authorized personnel!  And indeed, the whole thing turned out to be almost as thrilling as meeting the queen.

A dignified man in a suit with a kindly demeanor and a stuffy accent shook our hands and took us through security.  Inside Guildhall, gentlemen in top hats wandered about freely.  And every so often, a dignitary would pass by wearing a lavish velvet-and-lace robe or an old-fashioned military uniform or even a gray, curly wig!  I was absolutely enchanted.  Everyone we met was friendly, and our guide introduced us to so many people that my right hand began to tire. 

He soon led us to the Alderman banquet room which was decorated with paintings of all the traditional Aldermen costumes throughout the ages and told us that Guildhall had been located in the spot since the 1100's.  Incredible!  The building was, of course, destroyed in the Great Fire of 1666 and during World War II, but it was carefully rebuilt both times.  And in 1988, builders laying the foundation for the Guildhall Art Museum discovered the remains of the London Roman Forum!  (It's amazing that they hadn't discovered it until so recently.)  I love the history that pervades every aspect of life in London.

After telling us a bit about his time as a high-ranking officer in the British Army, our stuffy-accented friend (he really was so sweet!) took us into a room with a buffet table which was spread with all sorts of exotic dainties.  A waiter poured our drinks, and then we were invited to fill our plates.   The food was absolutely delicious!  A lot of it looked a bit too exotic for me (raw salmon on toast?), but most of the things I tried were utterly delectable.  As we ate, several other nicely-dressed ladies and gentlemen entered the room, shook our hands, and politely conversed with us and asked us questions about our schooling. 

Then came the best part--our meeting with the Lord Mayor.  We all lined up beside the main gate and waited for him to arrive for the council meeting.  Crystal and I looked at each other; we were actually feeling a bit nervous!  Pomp and circumstance can do that to a person.  First we met the London Sheriff when he pulled up in his limousine.  He was dressed in layers and layers of velvet robe with lace all around his neck and a large, golden pendant hanging down on his chest.  He wasn't the least bit pretentious, though; he smiled at us all with a grandfatherly twinkle in his eye, wiped the sweat off his bald head with a handkerchief (it was SO hot today--poor man!), and began asking friendly questions.  I was surprised; he knew all about the London Rotary Club and exactly who we were.  The City of London and the club in Havasu must have quite the relationship!  Finally, the Lord Mayor himself arrived.  He bounced up to us and shook our hands heartily.  He was such a kindly, energetic man!  He seemed to know just as much about us as the sheriff had, and he asked us all sorts of questions too.  He seemed genuinely thrilled with every answer we gave, and actually seemed honored to welcome us as guests at Guildhall.  I've never felt so royal!  We asked to take a picture with him, and he good-naturedly put on his three-cornered, tassled black hat and blue velvet cloak for the occasion, despite the heat.

Before long, we were all hurried in to the Court of Common Council.  The room was beautiful; it had vaulted stone ceilings, marble sculptures, stained glass windows, and red velvet curtains.  We sat down, the room quieted, and someone called, "The Honorable Lord Mayor!"  We all stood respectfully as a stately procession made its way down the aisle, led by a military man holding a staff and swinging his arms in time with his steps.  The Lord Mayor himself entered last, wearing his hat and cloak and beaming in spite of the heat.  I was overwhelmed by the ceremony of it all until I saw the Lord Mayor catch my eye and wink as he passed our row.  The most respected man in London winked at me!  I was thrilled to the tips of my toes, and rather tickled, too.  That wink was so characteristic of his jolly personality.

The meeting was very formal until the Lord Mayor stood up and announced that everyone had his permission to remove their cloaks and hats (an uncommon procedure) because of the heat.  He did it in such a friendly way that everyone laughed and things lightened up a bit.  The rest of the meeting was somewhat boring (the Lord Mayor never got to speak again; a man sitting in front of him always said, "The Lord Mayor thinks. . ." or "The Lord Mayor agrees. . .").   Several times, though, someone would make a witty comment or an underhanded jab, and a titter would pass through the audience.  British people have such an intelligent sense of humor!  I love it.  (One interesting note:  There are no "parties" in London's political scene.  I found that interesting.  Every representative is completely independent.)

When the "public" part of the meeting had concluded, we were ushered out of the room so that the "private" portion could begin.  A woman named Erica (great name!) then took us to the Guildhall museum and left us to browse the art and take a look at the remains of the Roman Amphitheater.  The Forum wasn't quite as astounding as I'd expected it to be; it was really just a pile of rocks.  Apparently, they weren't able to uncover the whole thing because important buildings (like Guildhall!) were in the way.  J  The paintings and statues were nice, too, but they were mostly Victorian, and I didn't recognize any of the artists.

After looking around a bit, everyone in my group was tired and wanted to go home (no wonder; they were out until 2:00 last night!), so I waved goodbye and decided to embark on my own adventure.  I found my way to the Museum of London (hallelujah again!) and thoroughly enjoyed myself there.  The Museum of London isn't as visually striking and historically rich as the British Museum, of course, but I really learned a lot about life in London.  I enjoyed seeing the evolving fashion displays and traipsing through several entirely reconstructed streets from Victorian London (I love it when my imagination doesn't have to do all the work!).  I also saw the Lord Mayor's carriage, which was first used in the 1700's and is still used by the current Lord Mayor on special occasions (coronations, Lord Mayor's Day, etc.).  Try as I might, though, I couldn't imagine that thing actually traveling along a modern street.  It's so massive and it’s almost ridiculously elaborate!  The whole thing is gold and red velvet from top to bottom, and every inch of it is carved and decorated (actual human statues hold up the driver's seat!).

After drinking my fill of the culture that the Museum of London had to offer, I headed to the nearest tube station to try to visit the British Library and Kensington Gardens.  After sitting in the station for forty-five minutes, though, all of the travelers were finally informed that there would be no service to that station for the rest of the day.  It was so frustrating!  I had to head to another station (even finding a new station can be an ordeal for me!) and, since I'd be traveling on a different line, I got to completely revamp my plans.  This time, I decided to head to Covent Garden to browse the Theatre Museum and then walk to Leicester Square to see what prices were like for discounted West End shows.  But--alas!--the Theatre Museum closed exactly two minutes before I arrived.  I can't believe how early everything shuts down in London!  Tired, but determined to do something before going home, I stopped in several shops to ask directions, and eventually was able to find the route to Leicester Square.  On the way, I ran into St. Martin-in-the-Fields.  It's a lovely church, and I was hoping to be able to walk inside, but it was closed.  Luckily, the National Portrait Gallery was just across the street. Surprisingly, it was still open!  I looked around for a few minutes (I'm coming back to the museum with my Literary London class in just a few days), and then decided to continue on.

The ticket booth in Leicester Square wasn't advertising any discount tickets for "Mary Poppins,” so I checked with the woman at the ticket window, and she said that none of the Disney shows offer discounts except through the actual theaters themselves.  So then I spent forty-five minutes trying to find Prince Edward Theater (where "Mary Poppins" is currently playing), only to discover that the theater doesn't offer any discounts either.  Apparently, "Mary Poppins" is currently the most popular choice on the West End.  Darn!  I really, really want to see that show, but I just can't bring myself to pay 70 pounds for one ticket. 

By this time, it was past 7:00, and I was famished.  I saw a "Burger King," witnessed a momentary struggle between my mind and my stomach, and then gave in to my hunger.  Luckily for my health, though, I didn't have enough money in my purse to pay outrageous price for one, stinking hamburger.  Humph.  I'm so sick of this silly pound-trumps-dollar thing.  Anyway, after a long, long day on the town, I finally arrived back in my aparmtent to discover that my new camera had arrived.  That made me feel a bit better!

I don’t have classes tomorrow, and I hope to cover a lot of ground.  The day will begin with a university-sponsored tour of the Parliament building.  Only 19 students were allowed to sign up, so I feel very lucky to be attending!  It should be very interesting.  I've also got to get in some sightseeing; my "must-do"s are so plentiful and I accomplished very little today!  London is so rich in culture and history.  Even with two months here, I'm only going to be able to scratch the surface.