Day 20, believe it or not, was completely uneventful.  I say that in the most positive way possible; it gave me a chance to relax and refuel my excitement for the coming week.  I woke up Sunday morning and just lazed around the apartment writing Saturday's log, answering e-mails, and dressing at my leisure.  :-)  It was lovely!  Then, at 1:00, I ate a microwaveable meal and left for church.  Church was lovely, too, but nothing earth-shattering happened during meetings.  So I headed home afterward, ate some raspberry pavlova ice-cream, had a long, satisfying MSN conversation, chatted with Maria a bit, then went to bed.  The end!

Day 21, on the other hand, hurled me right back into the thick of things.  I took the tube to classes alone this morning (Crystal's class was meeting elsewhere for a field trip), and I actually arrived a bit late for the first time.  We discussed Charles Dickens' "Great Expectations" today.  I adore Dickens, and it was such fun to pick him apart.  If possible, I have an even greater appreciation for him and his writing style now than I did before.  And once again, I was so impressed by the way my teacher structured our class discussion and introduced new ideas.  I experienced probably a dozen "Ah ha!" moments today alone.  I live for those!  Tomorrow, we'll be taking a Dickens tour of the St. Paul's area.

So class whizzed by, and soon it was time to meet Maria and do some sightseeing.  First, however, we went back to the apartment to change our clothes.  Let me explain why:  Every day in London so far has been muggy and hot, hot, HOT.  Today, however, there was a very nice breeze, and the temperature was definitely in the 60's or 70's. 

After Maria and I had changed, we set off for the Imperial War Museum.  Once there, the two of us met up with a boy from Maria's class and delved into the exhibits.  We first browsed the WWI and WWII sections (which were each gigantic!).  They were very interesting, but my head started swimming after an hour of reading descriptions of strategic war moves.  My favorite things were the journal entries and personal stories and descriptions of the way war affected individuals both on the battlefield and the home front.  If I think about the actual concept of war itself too deeply for too long, my thoughts become so depressing. 

I also enjoyed learning a bit more about the wartime intelligence.  Hurrah for all the brains that cracked "The Enigma!"   After finishing up the world war exhibits, I had just enough time to go through the Holocaust exhibit before meeting Maria and her friend in front of the museum.  Even though I was only able to spend about fifteen minutes walking through the rooms, what I experienced was SO powerful.  The exhibit is not recommended for children under 14, and I can see why; almost all of the images and stories were intensely disturbing.  I can't even comprehend an evil which could enable people to do such things to other people!  The stories about mothers and children particularly broke my heart, and the displays devoted to Nazi mass killing devices made me feel literally ill.  I've read and heard and seen a lot about the Holocaust, but no matter how often I revisit the atrocities, the impact and awfulness of it all never lessens.

After visiting the war museum, Maria, her friend, and I decided to take a quick walking tour of the Chelsea area (thanks to the clear directions and descriptions in a London guidebook that my mom let me borrow!).  We passed some interesting antique shops and then came to the Royal Hospital, designed by Christopher Wren.  I am amazed at how much Christopher Wren contributed to London's architecture!  Everywhere I go, his name pops up somehow.  The hospital itself is beautiful, and so are the courtyards.  We wandered around a bit and then decided to go down by the river.  The view across the water was lovely, too!  We spotted an interesting Buddhist pagoda across the way and decided to visit it sometime in the future.  Then I glanced at my watch and realize that--ack!--I had to get home, eat a quick dinner, and head off to "Hay Fever" (the comedy starring Judi Dench).

I did just that, and cooked some spaghetti for dinner.  Then I hopped on the tube, found my way to the theater, picked up my ticket, and headed to my seat.  I was thrilled to even be attending a Judi Dench production, but as I mounted staircase after staircase, I began worrying that my seat was going to be awful.  Not so!  I was on the second balcony (which I'd expected since my ticket was so cheap), but I sat dead center on the very front row and had a perfect view of the stage.  As I waited for the show to begin, I looked around me and thought, "This theater is absolutely gorgeous.  Just look at those luxurious boxes, that glittering chandelier, and all of the decoration in gold!  Wait a second--I've seen this theater before!  This is the theater in 'Evanlina!'"  I was as pleased as punch until I realized that I never actually watched "Evalina"--I read it.  Then I became perplexed.  I guess I imagined Evalina's theater all on my own!

Finally, the lights dimmed and the curtain rose.  It was thrilling!  The set was very impressive; it looked as if a very nice, upper-class, two-level home had been placed right on the stage.  Actual rain even fell from behind the windows at several points!  I sat on the edge of my seat until Judi Dench came onstage, at which point everyone clapped enthusiastically.  I was too far back to be able to see her facial expressions in any great detail, but even from such a distance, it was easy to tell that she is an incredible actress.  "Hay Fever" revolves around a very dramatic retired actress (Judi Dench) and her dysfunctional family (a husband, a daughter, and a son).  Four people come to stay with the family, and they end up leaving the next day, driven literally batty by the higgeldy-piggeldy chaos that has characterized every waking moment in the house.  The script definitely has its moments, but it relies very much on the quirkiness of its characters (which means, of course, that it demands a strong, funny cast).   In other words, the play itself might not have been completely brilliant, but Judi Dench was!  I've heard that her role in "Hay Fever" is often overplayed, but Judi managed to be ridiculously funny without ever going over the top.  Her comedic timing is impeccable, and she had the whole audience in a roar--especially during the second act.  I've never seen her in a role like this (she's usually more dignified in the movies) but she pulled everything off perfectly.   I don't think I'll ever forget seeing her live on the stage.  :-)