My day began at 10:00 AM yesterday and didn't end until 11:00 PM when I returned, exhausted but thrilled (as always!), to my apartment.  So much had happened that I didn't think I could write a proper blog before falling into a heap on my bed.  It's Sunday morning now, and since I don't have church until 1:30, I've got plenty of time to record all the wonderful details!

My apartment is literally about a five or ten-minute walk to Buckingham Palace, but before yesterday, I had never seen the changing of the guard.  So at 10:00, I set out to see what all the fuss was about.  When I arrived at the Palace, hundreds of people were already surrounding the gates.  I found a spot at the side gate and watched in amazement as hundreds more pressed in.  The changing of the guard must be a huge tourist attraction; I've never seen any one square so crowded!  And once the spots at the gate filled up, people began sitting on the statue in the middle of the square.  Policemen on horses blew their whistles, joked loudly with the crowd, and yelled at people who tried crossing the street where the procession would be coming.  It was a madhouse!

Finally, after standing for forty-five minutes in the blazing heat with human bodies pressed tightly around me, the official ceremony began.  The whole thing last for over an hour.  First, a group of red-suited, black-fluffy-hat-wearing guards filed into the middle of the courtyard.  Next, a drum-and-flute marching band marched down a street I couldn't see and came in through the main gates, playing some patriotic tune.  At last, the full marching band tromped in, and the blue-suited guards who would replace the red-suited ones took their places in the courtyard.  I couldn't see things very well, being stuck at the far side of the courtyard, and I wasn't enjoying myself too much, so I decided to try and make my way toward the main gate.  After being yelled at by several policemen, I finally managed to wedge myself into a good spot right in front of the courtyard.  At this point, the marching band set up stands and began playing all sorts of showtunes.  It made me laugh!  You'd think they'd perform something a bit more dignified and British than "There's No Business like Show Business" and "I Want to Live in America!"  From this point on, I enjoyed the whole ceremony a lot more.  When the marching band left through the gates, I was literally standing right next to them.  It was quite exciting!

After that (I had no idea that it took over an hour just to change the guards at Buckingham Palace!!!), I headed back to the tube station, passed a German man on the way ("You looking so pretty!"), and took the tube to Kensington Gardens.  When I first walked into the park, I was very disappointed.  The grass was all yellow, and although the central pond was pretty, the whole landscape looked nothing like I'd imagined it.  I explored a bit, though, and discovered Kensington Palace (where Princess Di used to live).   After that, things definitely started looking up, and I actually ended up spending most of my day in the gardens.  Kensington Palace itself isn't especially striking from the outside (and I didn't want to pay the money to see the inside), but it's set in the quaintest spot.  Nearby is the Orangery (which now houses a restaurant), and a bunch of green hedges and trees.  I peeked through the hedges and discovered a "hidden" fountain surrounded by all sorts of greenery and brightly-colored flowers.  It was thrilling!

At this point, it began to gently shower (for the first time EVER in my entire visit to London), but I didn't mind.  I sauntered along through the hedges and then began walking along the main park road by the pond.  The rain became more and more insistent, until finally I ducked into a shaded bench area for cover.  There I waited with several other people for the rain to let up a bit.  It was fun; one family was talking in French, and two English ladies were gossiping scandalously!  :-)

When the rain had been reduced once again to a sprinkle, I left the shelter area and just strolled along until I came to a sign pointing in the direction of a “Flower Walk.”  So I turned and walked down a darling little path with brightly-colored flowers on every side, large trees spreading canopies of leaves over the path, birds strutting about confidently, and fearless squirrels who tried nibbling my toes!  I absolutely loved it.  London seems so much more London-ish when it's sprinkling a bit; things are less bright and garish and all of the natural colors seem more vibrant.  After walking the Flower Walk, I discovered a path leading to the Prince Albert Memorial.  I figured it would be just another statue like the white marble statue I'd seen of Queen Victoria near Kensington Palace, but it wasn't at all.   It was absolutely gigantic!   Steps led up to the memorial on all sides, and every corner had its own assortment of white statues.  Golden pillars met in a majestic peak high up in the sky, and in the center of it all sat a gold statue of Prince Albert.   I don't even know who Prince Albert is or what he did to deserve such a memorial!  Maybe I'll have to google it.  :-)

After that, I walked across the street to take a look at the enormous BBC center, and then headed back to the tube station.  Along the way, I slipped into several clothing shops just to take a look around.  I figured it might be nice to buy some sort of a light, summery dress that would help me bear the heat (although it was actually quite nice yesterday, with the rain and all).   "Next" was having a big, half-off sale, and I wandered inside.  There, I discovered a cute dress (modest--hurrah!) which was on sale for 14.99.  Not bad!  After struggling with myself (I hate spending money!), I finally bought it.  I think I'll wear it to church today.

By this time, it was 4:00, and I knew I'd have to hurry if I wanted to tour the Tower of London before it closed at 6:00.  So I hopped on the tube, and after a very long ride from High Street Kensington to Tower Stop, I finally got my first glimpse of the Tower.   As soon as I exited the tube station, I could see it across the street.  Wow!  It was much, much larger than I'd supposed!  I crossed underneath the street, and read all the miniature history lessons posted along the way.  So this was the spot where Anne Boleyn and Sir Thomas Moore were beheaded!  Fascinating.  Everyone I'd talked to told me that it was worth it to splurge on a Beefeater tour, so I was ready to take the plunge.  Unfortunately, the man at the ticket desk told me that the last tour for the day had already left.  Boo!  I decided to just come back another day, but not until I'd browsed the Tower Museum and gift shop, walked along the pedestrian walkway on the Tower Bridge, and snapped some more photos of the Tower of London itself.  I can't wait to take the tour!

I glanced at my watch.  It was 5:00, and most museums and things would already be closing.  I decided to just catch a glimpse of Shakespeare's Globe Theater (rebuilt near the original spot in 1997), do some grocery shopping, and then head home.  Imagine my delight when, after crossing the Blackfriar Bridge, I discovered that the Tate Modern (right next to the Globe Theater) is open until 10:00 on Saturdays!  Of the six floors in the building, two are free and open to the public, and I managed to browse both quite thoroughly.  I'm not a huge fan of modern art, so I wasn't sure if I'd enjoy the displays, but I ended up really loving most of the museum.  Modern art makes you think (or, in some cases, just stand back and feel), and I decided that I quite like Cubism and Minimalism.  I was thrilled, too, to see original Picassos and Mondrians.

After that, I trotted next door to the Globe Theater which was not quite as imposing as I'd supposed it would be.  In fact, it looks a lot like the Globe Theater in Cedar City, Utah.  Still, I enjoyed looking around and snapping photos.  I noticed that "A Comedy of Errors" was opening that night.  A large sign to the side of the building read, "This evening's performance is sold out.  Queue here for return ticket sales."  The "queue" wasn't too long, so, for the heck of it, I decided to stand in line and see what would happen.  And lo-and-behold, I was able to get a standing-room ticket for only 5 pounds.  Hurrah!  As I waited beside the entry door designated for the lowly little groundlings, I chatted with a young teacher from Canada and a couple from Chicago.  We had all been waiting in the return ticket queue together, and we are all thrilled to be attending the show.

Finally, the doors opened, and the groundlings rushed into the theater to grab a good spot.  I managed to place myself front and center.  What good luck!  The show ended up starting fifteen minutes late, so I had plenty of time to look around at the interior of the theater.  Again, it looked a lot like the Globe Theater in Cedar City, but I could tell that this one had been constructed using historically-correct materials.  Also, the Cedar City theater has plastic seats for the groundlings.  No such luck for us!  We had to live out the experience just like the original, lower-class theater goers (we even got rained on at one point!).  And since I had been running through London all day, my feet were very tired and ache-y.  Luckily, I was able to forget about my feet for most of the show, because the actors were hilarious!  Truth be told, I like the version of "Comedy of Errors" that I saw at the Shakespearean Festival in Cedar City better than the Globe Theater version, but it was still very enjoyable, and probably truer to the style in which an actual Shakespearean comedy would've appeared.  Actors spoke directly to the audience and teased the groundlings, and the physical comedy was ridiculously slapstick.  The actors were a little melodramatic, and a live orchestra provided crazy sound effects and background music.  All in all, it was a fun, if slightly silly, experience.

After the show, I was absolutely DYING of thirst.  I rode the tube back to Victoria Station, and rushed into the first Sainsbury's Market I saw.  There, I quickly purchased some groceries (bananas, whole wheat rolls, nectarines), and grabbed a big carton of juice.  I glanced around quickly and then opened the juice and swigged down almost the entire thing right there in the aisle!  I was SO thirsty.  :-)   A few minutes later, I was home and ready to hit the sack.  It had been a lovely day full of all sorts of unexpected delights!