So we went to London. We had a fabulous time but it was without Joaquin so I'll make this an overview of the highlights rather than an exhaustive play-by-play. After all, this blog is title 'Everyday with Joaquin'. If we spend too much time without him no one will want to read about it! This is Daniel and I in front of Buckingham Palace. There are a lot of pictures of Daniel and I or Matthew and I in front of a famous building. I really should have thought this through more and brought multiple coats instead of multiple outfits, b/c I look basically the same in every picture. Okay, a few highlights.
2. We went to Bath. Imagine a town of pretty buildings that all match - that's Bath. The Abbey was beautiful, and full of the most touching inscriptions (from the 1600, 1700 and 1800s!) to departed loved ones. They had such assurance of their salvation and of seeing their loved ones again that it was very encouraging. We also were there on the day of their Christmas fair which is like the cutest craft fair ever since they have they little matching booths for everyone. (Too bad it was freezing!) We walked by the Pump Room and I thought of Jane Austen before we toured the Roman baths. They were very interesting and Matthew and my goofy engineer had a great time seeing how everything worked.
5. The British museum - holy cow! Could have spent weeks there I think. I saw the actual Rosetta Stone and Daniel ate up the Assyrian exhibit since he's been learning all about them in his seminary class this fall.
1. Went to Oxford and got to meet Daniel's missionary friends 
from Ghana as well as hear the Anglican version of a cantata at their insanely old, totally beautiful church. (They were as friendly and loving as Daniel described them, and they felt like friends very quickly.) James, Gillian and Judith actually live in a little village called Cuddesdon and it looks like every American stereotype of English countryside. I loved it! Matt took us on his C.S. Lewis tour (The Kilns, Lewis's grave, the Eagle & Child, and his rooms at Oxford). We also wandered around the Oxford campus and Gillian got us into Magdalene College (pronounced Maudlin) since she was a member there as an undergrad. Oxford actually looks like every picture you've ever seen, and is doubly impressive b/c all these insanely beautiful and historic buildings are all jammed together. At both Oxford and Bath I had the ha
rdest time making sense of people wearing modern clothing. It just didn't seem to fit. We also had the joy of experiencing socialized medicine since I suffered an allergy attack starting with hives in the back of my throat in the morning and moving on to a swollen lip and hives on my face. After discovering that they don't sell Benadryl over the counter in Britain (that dangerous drug that we give to children and pets), we made for the nearest A&E. Despite the long wait, I was given free drugs and seen by a doctor at no cost to me. Since I don't have to pay for it (even in the form of taxes), I'm definitely a fan!
from Ghana as well as hear the Anglican version of a cantata at their insanely old, totally beautiful church. (They were as friendly and loving as Daniel described them, and they felt like friends very quickly.) James, Gillian and Judith actually live in a little village called Cuddesdon and it looks like every American stereotype of English countryside. I loved it! Matt took us on his C.S. Lewis tour (The Kilns, Lewis's grave, the Eagle & Child, and his rooms at Oxford). We also wandered around the Oxford campus and Gillian got us into Magdalene College (pronounced Maudlin) since she was a member there as an undergrad. Oxford actually looks like every picture you've ever seen, and is doubly impressive b/c all these insanely beautiful and historic buildings are all jammed together. At both Oxford and Bath I had the ha
rdest time making sense of people wearing modern clothing. It just didn't seem to fit. We also had the joy of experiencing socialized medicine since I suffered an allergy attack starting with hives in the back of my throat in the morning and moving on to a swollen lip and hives on my face. After discovering that they don't sell Benadryl over the counter in Britain (that dangerous drug that we give to children and pets), we made for the nearest A&E. Despite the long wait, I was given free drugs and seen by a doctor at no cost to me. Since I don't have to pay for it (even in the form of taxes), I'm definitely a fan!
2. We went to Bath. Imagine a town of pretty buildings that all match - that's Bath. The Abbey was beautiful, and full of the most touching inscriptions (from the 1600, 1700 and 1800s!) to departed loved ones. They had such assurance of their salvation and of seeing their loved ones again that it was very encouraging. We also were there on the day of their Christmas fair which is like the cutest craft fair ever since they have they little matching booths for everyone. (Too bad it was freezing!) We walked by the Pump Room and I thought of Jane Austen before we toured the Roman baths. They were very interesting and Matthew and my goofy engineer had a great time seeing how everything worked.3. Meeting many of Matthew's friends. All of them were very nice and it was so enc
ouraging to realized he has that many people to fall back on when he needs love or help.
ouraging to realized he has that many people to fall back on when he needs love or help.4. Touring around London and attending Evensong at Westminister Abbey! Oh the music was beautiful, especially in that space with all the echoes and harmonics, etc. (Is that the technical term for what I mean, or am I totally misusing that?) (Charles Darwin, Faraday and Issac Newton are all buried at Westminster so we got to see their graves. Thrilled our dorky scientist hearts to no end.)
5. The British museum - holy cow! Could have spent weeks there I think. I saw the actual Rosetta Stone and Daniel ate up the Assyrian exhibit since he's been learning all about them in his seminary class this fall.Flew home (really recommend British Airways by the way) and Joaquin only ignored me for about 12 hrs. Daddy was forgiven quickly, but apparently Mommy is not allowed to leave him.
No comments:
Post a Comment