Day 35 was pleasant in a completely boring way, and I don't plan to embellish the truth.  :-)   Since the truth is very dry, I'll sum up my day as quickly as possible:  Woke up, did laundry, taught Corinne piano lesson, put together sightseeing schedule for Dylan, answered e-mails, packed suitcase of extra clothes for Dylan to take back to Utah, wrote talk for next week's Sacrament Meeting (I won't have time while Dylan's here!), ate Bonaffee Pie (sp?) after a delicious dinner of chicken casserole, helped wash dishes, read up on Windsor Castle and the Tower of London, went to bed.  How was that?

On Day 36, however, things were so fresh and exciting that I felt like I was visiting London for the first time.  Why?  Because my kindred-spirited brother Dylan was here to share everything with me!  I woke at 4:30 this morning (groan!) and set off with Jeanette at 5:30 to pick up Dylan from Heathrow Airport.   Jeanette dropped me off at Terminal 3 where I waited for Dylan. . .and waited. . .and waited.  Everyone in the airport told me to just keep waiting at the central meeting point, but I was starting to get a little nervous.  Luckily, after Jeanette had parked the car and come inside the airport, she had to find a bathroom and found Dylan wandering around with his escort instead!   Dylan squealed and threw himself into my arms.  I've never seen someone running so completely on excited energy!  He'd only gotten two hours of sleep on the plane, but he couldn't wait to take London by storm.  The child escort lady made me show I.D. before she'd hand Dylan over to me (as if he would've thrown his arms around a kidnaper or stranger!), and then we were on our way.  Dylan was so excited that he could hardly stand it, and the feeling was contagious.  :-)

It was pure pleasure to hear his exclamations of delight as we drove in our car down the "wrong" side of the road and began traveling into the countryside.  Jeanette dropped us off in the sleepy little town, Eton, where we were able to wander and soak in the sights until Windsor Castle opened at 9:45.  First, we wandered through the streets and let Dylan catch a glimpse of the charming rows of country homes (mostly Tudor style) along the Thames.  We also saw Sir Christopher Wren's home, the queen's swans floating down the river, and a whole row of charming, English shops.   Before long, we found ourselves at Eton college where we snooped about the church and courtyard and library and snapped pictures to our hearts' delight.  :-)  Eton really is a charming little place.  If possible, it captured my heart even more quickly than Oxford had.  It's so beautiful and country-like and green, and the buildings are so very British!  And what place can beat a city overlooked by the magnificent Windsor Castle?   Dylan agreed completely.  It was such fun to explore with someone who thrills in British culture the same way I do!  Dylan says that Eton is exactly how he pictured a typical English town.

Before entering the castle grounds, we stopped at a little English cafe' and split a full English breakfast.  I figured that we shouldn't waste any time giving Dylan some authentic British experiences!  I don't think he was too fond of the undercooked eggs, mushrooms, and fried tomatoes, but he liked the bacon and sausage.  :-)  After that, we dropped by Starbuck’s to use the bathroom (only American restaurants ever offer bathrooms!), and Dylan spent about fifteen minutes trying to figure out how to flush the toilet!   I’d forgotten how different British toilets are from American ones.

Then came the highlight (or one of the highlights!) of the day:  Windsor Castle.  This castle is probably my favorite royal residence that I’ve visited so far.  I loved Hampton Court Palace, but Windsor is just exactly like I imagined a fairytale castle—gray stone walls, cylindrical towers, luxurious banqueting halls an’ all!  Dylan and I sauntered along behind a tour group at first (we figured that live tours cost extra) and then lost our nerve and went off exploring on our own with our audio guides.  We later found out that the live tours are free and included in the ticket price which made the penny-pinching (pence-pinching?) side of me very disgruntled.  I have to admit that we had a grand ol’ time discovering things at our own pace, though!  We walked around the grounds and soaked up the castle-y atmosphere and then entered the State Apartments.  First, though, we were led through Queen Mary’s Doll Collection.  The highlight of that was a gigantic doll’s palace that filled an entire room.  Everything was built exactly to scale using real materials and functioning plumbing, and I almost expected little, elegant people to start walking through the rooms!  After that, we were able to browse the queen’s painting/photograph collection (including sketches by Leonardo DaVinci and photos of the queen in all stages of life).

Then, finally, we entered the State Apartments.  They were incredible!  By this point, I think poor Dylan’s energy was wearing off a bit, and he started looking a bit dazed.  Still, he was sufficiently awed by the grandeur, and so was I!   Everything is so elegant (gold gilding, thick draperies, feathered plumes atop canopy beds), and paintings by famous artists (Rubens, Bellini, etc.) adorn most of the rooms and ceilings.  After the State Apartments, we wandered through St. George’s Chapel, admired the magnificence of the ornate Gothic architecture, saw the tombs of King Henry VII, Anne Boleyn, and several other kings and queens, and then took pictures outside with the stern-looking guard marching up and down the castle courtyard.

By this point, Dylan and I were both ready for a quick something to eat, so we nibbled on the McVitties (delightfully British “nobbly, crunchy wheat n’ oatmeal biscuits”) that I’d purchased a few days before at Sainsbury’s, had an apple each, and then found a McDonald’s so that Dylan could try his very first flake ice-cream!  It’s a bit ironic that Dylan bought his British treat from an American McDonald’s, but I told him to just imagine that we’d purchased it from a street vendor.  The cones are about half the price that way!

On our way to the train station, we stopped at Sir Christopher Wren’s Guildhall and wandered past some of the many shops that surround Windsor Castle (I always pictured the castle a little more secluded).  Then we were able to find the station, purchase our tickets, and hop on a train all within minutes.  Dylan slept almost the whole way into London, and I napped a bit too.  The ride was about an hour-and-a-half long in total because the tracks had to be investigated for some reason about halfway through our journey.   I was glad that Dylan was able to nod off, but he was very grumpy when I woke him up in London!  Poor kid; I basically dragged him into the tube station to purchase our tube passes and then onto the first train to Westminster.   When we excited Westminster station, though, and came out in full view of the Parliament Building, Dylan perked up with miraculous suddenness!  I could tell that he was thrilled to the tips of his toes by the Parliament Building, Big Ben, the Jewel Tower, and Westminster Abbey.  We wandered around while he exclaimed in delight and snapped pictures every few seconds.

Then we took a stroll through St. James’ Park, past the most charming little thatched cottage nestled amongst colorful flowers on the edge of the lake and past all the ducks and birds and pelicans.  St. James’ is definitely looking greener since all the rain of the past week.  (Speaking of which, the weather was absolutely beautiful today!  Talk about luck.  It wasn’t too chilly, and it didn’t rain once.)  We walked to the edge of the park where we had a splendid view of Buckingham Palace.  Dylan was less than impressed, and I don’t blame him.  Although Buckingham is beautiful, it’s no Windsor or Westminster Abbey.

After that, we headed back through the park to attend Evensong at Westminster Abbey.  Services at the abbey are free whereas normal tourist admission is about 12 pounds.  Dylan and I arrived just in time and got very good seats.  I think Dylan felt a little uncomfortable at times (when the audience was reciting the Catholic Creed, etc.), but I enjoyed every moment of the experience—especially the music.  Instead of the Westminster Choir (who was on “holiday”), we got to hear the Queen’s College Oxford Choir, and they were incredible.  I love the way voices echo and soar and intertwine in a cathedral setting; the music literally sent thrills through my body.  At the very end of the hour-long worship service, the audience was given music and invited to join the choir in the final hymn.  The hymn paid homage to the Virgin Mary and was written by a 20^th-century composer.  It was a lovely piece, and I felt so elated as I joined the choir in singing the song in that beautiful, echoing space.  Dylan sang along too, so now he can say that he sang in Westminster Abbey, even though he never got to perform there with the Utah Children’s Choir like he was supposed to several years ago.  Hearing that Oxford choir perform re-inspired me to start composing quality music,

When we exited the abbey, Dylan and I caught sight of a double-deckered bus, and I dragged him aboard.  We rode on the top level until suddenly I recognized all the shops and streets and realized that we were passing Wigram House—my old apartment!  We stepped off at the next stop, and I was able to give Dylan a tour of Wigram House and take him through some British stores (Boots, Sainsbury’s, etc.).  We went the cheap route for dinner and bought whole-wheat bagels, fruit, and yogurt at Sainsbury’s, ate our meal on the street benches amongst the pigeons, and then topped off the meal with the Lion Bars we discovered at a little, out-of-the-way place.

At this point, I decided that we should head to Victoria Station so that we would make it to the Prince Albert Hall for our BBC Proms concert with time to spare.  First, though, I showed Dylan around the station (which is just like a mini mall!), and then, when I glanced at my watch, I realized that we were late!  We bolted onto the first train heading in the right direction, but unfortunately, it was the wrong one.  We had to hop off a few stops down the line and then hop on the right train.  When we reached High Street Kensington, I assured Dylan that the music hall was only a few blocks away.  I was wrong.  I’d forgotten what a long walk it was from the station to Prince Albert Hall!  We ended up arriving one minute after the concert had begun, and I was devastated.  I rushed into the box office, only to find that all the cheap tickets had already been sold.  The lady selling tickets told me to hurry and see if the standing room ticket office was still open.  So Dylan and I rushed around to Door 11, and got there just as they were closing up!  We purchased two five-pound standing tickets, found our way to the proper entrance, and then had to wait until the orchestra had finished playing the first piece. 

Luckily, the first number (a Schumann piece) was very short, and we were able to find fairly good places in the standing crowd.  I felt so badly for Dylan, though; he was completely exhausted and had really been looking forward to a nice, comfortable seat.  He sat down during the second number and dozed off until intermission.  Luckily, the nap really powered him for the second half, and he thoroughly enjoyed the Mendelssohn symphony.  He claims that he has been re-inspired to become a composer!  I myself enjoyed the concert from beginning to end.  Even though we had to stand, I’m so glad that we went.  It was an incredible performance; the actual BBC Orchestra was playing, and they’d invited the most incredible violinist to play Beethoven’s Violin Concert in D Major.  We were standing right in front of the orchestra, and I was able to watch every movement and every facial expression of the soloist.  His technique was impeccable and his virtuosity was mind-boggling, but it was his delicate interpretation of phrases and the ease with which he played that really impressed me.  I can honestly say that I’ve never listened to someone play so masterfully and with such an incredible connection to the orchestra.  At one point, the timpani and violin had a lyric duet (How many times have you heard a drum play lyrically?), and I couldn’t believe the way the tympani-player was able to shape his phrases in perfect agreement with the violinist.  I was also blown away by the piece itself, and I really have a new appreciation for Beethoven.  Although essentially lyrical, the piece moved through every conceivable emotion and took the wittiest little turns.  At several points, for example, the violinist would land on a traditional, cadential, Mozart-esque trill, but then the orchestra would back the trill with some strange chord, and the phrase would take off in a whole new, unexpected direction!  Like Dylan, I came away inspired.

After the concert, Dylan was feeling very bright and awake, so we walked past the Prince Albert Memorial, the Science Museum, the Victoria and Albert Museum, the LDS Chapel, and the Natural History Museum on our way back to the tube.  I, on the other hand, was starting to feel tired, and I almost forgot that we had to change trains at Holborn.  I leapt off with Dylan at the last moment, but when he realized that he had left his camera onboard, he leapt right back on.  The doors closed between us, and off my little brother went to Russell Square Station without me!  My heart was pounding and my mind was racing as I caught the next possible train to Russell Square.  “Please let Dylan stay put!  Please let him stay put!” I prayed as I rode.  Luckily, he was waiting for me on a bench when I arrived, and we were soon able to find our way back to Holborn and onto the correct Central Line train.  Whew!

We arrived at Woodford Station around 11:15, and walked to Richard and Jeanette’s house together.  We were both exhausted at this point, and I almost cried with gratitude when I saw that Jeanette had folded all my laundry for me, put clean sheets on my bed, and blown up a whole new air mattress for Dylan.  What sweet people these Saltzmans are!

Dylan and I both sank almost immediately into sweet slumbers, and awoke this morning feeling refreshed and ready for another exciting day in London!