Good evening! And I thank you for your patience. It has been about two weeks since my last post. I am now sitting down in the common area, having just turned in a homework assignment, and I am devoting the next fifteen minutes to composing what I am sure is a long-awaited blog posting.
I am feeling much better as compared to my last post. I still have a phlegm in my sinuses, but I feel totally fine. I think I may be allergic to England...? Either way, I am grateful that I feel good again!
I spent my mid-term break in a lovely little town called Martlesham in the county of Suffolk. My aunt put me in touch with her friends that live here, and I took the train Thursday afternoon into Ipswich station to spend the weekend at their home. Let me tell you something: it was fantastic to get out of London! The country is so different. The grass drips green, the air is clean, and the people exude a persona much friendlier than the big city of London. Bruce and Judy live on two acres just off a two lane road. A forest surrounds the property on two sides, and there are plenty of trees still between them and the road, providing a little "secret garden" refuge for all kinds of birds, two pheasants, and a fox, among other fauna. I probably make it sound much more romantic than it truly is. But I suppose you just had to be there. When the only green space one gets to see for a month is the perfectly manicured and planned parks of the inner city, it is refreshing to experience nature again. I received refreshment physically, emotionally, and spiritually during this past weekend. I already miss it! I enjoy the tranquility of the country, the laid-back atmosphere of a sunny window, a loveseat, a cup of tea, and a book. My hosts' hospitality was incredible, and I cannot wait to return on another weekend to "recharge my batteries."
In regards to my titular repetition, that refers to the inordinate amount of smoking here in London. Oh my goodness, it seems EVERYONE lights up at any given time. I can't tell you how annoying it is to be walking along the sidewalk and suddenly I inhale a cloud of acrid smoke. Some cigarettes don't smell too bad. Unfortunately, the people of London (and honestly the Americans as well) haven't learned that valuable fact. It seems they choose the cigarettes that smell the absolute worst. Oh, it is also equally distressing when the embers from a lit ciggy fly backwards at me as I am walking behind a smoker. Thank you, ma'am, I really wanted that singe mark on my coat... I suppose that is my pet peeve, explained in great detail for you here. I don't understand why someone would choose to ruin their lungs? Some people are genuinely ill, hacking up phlegm, coughing every five minutes. Then as soon as it is intermission, what do they do? Go outside and light up. Come on... For your sake, just stop. And for my sake as well. My lungs are actually paining me right now.
Anyhow, there is a small update for everyone! I will post pictures from the last few weeks tomorrow as I don't have ready access to my camera at the moment. Thanks for waiting, and thanks for reading! "Free" day tomorrow will be spent doing homework, of course. And then we have a theater performance tomorrow night to attend: One Man, Two Guv'nors. Sounds very funny! I hope it is better than "Juno and the Paycock" which was genuinely abhorrent.
Cheers!
Monday, February 20, 2012
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
So yes, about today...
Hello all,
again, sorry for the fact that my posts have petered out. I have been feeling terrible the last few days. Saturday was awful, Sunday great, then I started feeling sickly Monday afternoon. It is Wednesday evening, and I still feel bad. I hope it is just a head cold and nothing more, but I just feel icky!
Just wanted to let everyone know that, since I really have nothing more to say. Very stressed, very busy, and no time to be sick unfortunately. Prayers are appreciated!
Tonight I am going to Jazz in the Crypt with my Music Appreciation class. We are leaving at 7:15, and I am not sure how long we shall be gone. I am hoping not long, as sleep is my preferred activity at the moment. Still have lots of homework, of course. This semester is no laughing matter! Very academically rigorous, in addition to the time spent doing program activities.
At the moment, I am so homesick that I would plead with Scotty to "beam me" back home right now! I know that is the sickness and the stress talking though. Being here in London truly is a great experience, and I am grateful for it. I'll be even more grateful when I start feeling good again.
Cheers,
Faith
again, sorry for the fact that my posts have petered out. I have been feeling terrible the last few days. Saturday was awful, Sunday great, then I started feeling sickly Monday afternoon. It is Wednesday evening, and I still feel bad. I hope it is just a head cold and nothing more, but I just feel icky!
Just wanted to let everyone know that, since I really have nothing more to say. Very stressed, very busy, and no time to be sick unfortunately. Prayers are appreciated!
Tonight I am going to Jazz in the Crypt with my Music Appreciation class. We are leaving at 7:15, and I am not sure how long we shall be gone. I am hoping not long, as sleep is my preferred activity at the moment. Still have lots of homework, of course. This semester is no laughing matter! Very academically rigorous, in addition to the time spent doing program activities.
At the moment, I am so homesick that I would plead with Scotty to "beam me" back home right now! I know that is the sickness and the stress talking though. Being here in London truly is a great experience, and I am grateful for it. I'll be even more grateful when I start feeling good again.
Cheers,
Faith
Saturday, February 4, 2012
Stonehenge and Salisbury
Good afternoon from London,
I have neglected posting for the last few days because I truly have been too busy to do so! Thursday was a blur of activity, classes and a show, and Friday consisted of an all day trip to the Salisbury plain to see Stonehenge and the Salisbury Cathedral. Today I haven't been feeling very well, so I have been resting all day. I am finally feeling better this late afternoon.
I've recently been considering what it means to live in a kingdom-minded way. This has been brought on by a discussion in my Charles Dickens class over the novel Oliver Twist. What I mean by "kingdom-minded" is this: how am I, as a believer in Christ and a Christian, supposed to live, behave, and interact in and with this world? I am in the process of writing about this, and will post this on my other blog when it is complete!
Stonehenge is one of those landmarks that you just have to see while you are in England. Unfortunately, that picture to the left is now the closest they allow you to get to this 5,000 year old structure. And literally, this was all there was to see. Nothing to read about it, no explanations of what it is or what it was for (not that anyone knows the answer to that!). I don't want to say that it was a letdown, but I expected at least some informational plaques around the perimeter or something. It is fun to conjecture how this was built and what it's purpose was, but they have no earthly idea what it is! Kind of funny :)
The Cathedral of Salisbury is one of the oldest in the country. It was built in the 1200s, and completed in about 30 years. Because of the short time of construction, there is only one style of architecture represented: English Gothic. It also has the tallest spire in the country, rising 402 feet from the ground! The weight of the spire has caused the pillars to buckle and bend under the weight. Quite scary to think about. The poor thing is sinking into the ground. Someday it will probably come crashing to the ground. There are arches and buttresses that were built to support the spire's weight, but who knows how long that will hold?
The tomb further on down the page is that of William Longspee. He was the illegitimate son of Henry II and half-brother to John and Richard the Lionhearted. His is the oldest tomb in the cathedral. He was present at the laying of the foundation in 1220 and was buried here in 1226. His tomb is interesting in that the top is a carved stone effigy and the bottom is English oak. This is the original tomb! They took his skeleton out at one point, and confirmed it did indeed come from this time period. They also found a mummified rat inside his skull. It had eaten the brains, and they found that it was full of arsenic! The interesting thing is that Longspee returned from war home to Salisbury, and they had a huge feast to welcome him home. The very next day, he died! They can't determine if he was poisoned because people took arsenic as a medicine back then. I think it is completely fascinating. This is the kind of thing I find so interesting about history.
The sundial to the left is such a beautiful piece of work. It tells not only the time of day, but also the time of year. As you can see, it is just before 2 o'clock in the afternoon. In 1752, they reformed the calendar. This calendar is dated 1749, and this Julian calendar made the year too short, an error of 11 days in total. England adopted the Gregorian calendar, so the next day after September 2nd, 1752 was September 14th, 1752! Is that cool or what? 11 days of 1752 never officially happened!
Well, those are some interesting anecdotes for you!
Tomorrow, the group is going to St. Paul's Cathedral in the City of London for church. This is the church that dominates the London skyline in pictures you see of the whole city. I found a very cute teal wool hat on sale, and I am planning on wearing that tomorrow to church! I'm excited about that :) I'll be sure to post a picture!
I hope you enjoy the rest of the photos on down the page!
Cheers!
Faith
I have neglected posting for the last few days because I truly have been too busy to do so! Thursday was a blur of activity, classes and a show, and Friday consisted of an all day trip to the Salisbury plain to see Stonehenge and the Salisbury Cathedral. Today I haven't been feeling very well, so I have been resting all day. I am finally feeling better this late afternoon.
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| A beautiful day, but cold! |
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| Stonehenge's entrance. The ditch on either side surrounds the monument and was there before it was even built! |
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| The view of Salisbury from Old Sarum's bridge. |
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| The Cathedral of Salisbury |
Stonehenge is one of those landmarks that you just have to see while you are in England. Unfortunately, that picture to the left is now the closest they allow you to get to this 5,000 year old structure. And literally, this was all there was to see. Nothing to read about it, no explanations of what it is or what it was for (not that anyone knows the answer to that!). I don't want to say that it was a letdown, but I expected at least some informational plaques around the perimeter or something. It is fun to conjecture how this was built and what it's purpose was, but they have no earthly idea what it is! Kind of funny :)
The Cathedral of Salisbury is one of the oldest in the country. It was built in the 1200s, and completed in about 30 years. Because of the short time of construction, there is only one style of architecture represented: English Gothic. It also has the tallest spire in the country, rising 402 feet from the ground! The weight of the spire has caused the pillars to buckle and bend under the weight. Quite scary to think about. The poor thing is sinking into the ground. Someday it will probably come crashing to the ground. There are arches and buttresses that were built to support the spire's weight, but who knows how long that will hold?
 |
| Sundial on the wall. |
The sundial to the left is such a beautiful piece of work. It tells not only the time of day, but also the time of year. As you can see, it is just before 2 o'clock in the afternoon. In 1752, they reformed the calendar. This calendar is dated 1749, and this Julian calendar made the year too short, an error of 11 days in total. England adopted the Gregorian calendar, so the next day after September 2nd, 1752 was September 14th, 1752! Is that cool or what? 11 days of 1752 never officially happened!
Well, those are some interesting anecdotes for you!
Tomorrow, the group is going to St. Paul's Cathedral in the City of London for church. This is the church that dominates the London skyline in pictures you see of the whole city. I found a very cute teal wool hat on sale, and I am planning on wearing that tomorrow to church! I'm excited about that :) I'll be sure to post a picture!
I hope you enjoy the rest of the photos on down the page!
Cheers!
Faith
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| A Pantocrator Icon of Christ |
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| I love the stained glass! |
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| William Longspee. |
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| A candle for all the Prisoners of Conscience. |
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Tuesday afternoon
I went to bed at 10 o'clock last night! It was glorious. After updating my planner, reading for my Islam and the West class, and general relaxation, I turned in and slept for a good ten hours, only waking up about 3 times, all very brief. I got up around 8 and showered. We have community bathrooms here, as I have aforementioned, and if you want to be sure to A)get hot water B)get an empty shower or C)be alone as you bathe, you have to get up earlier than everyone else. That was no problem today. The class that meets on Tuesday mornings has only one student in it, so naturally everyone slept in. I went with the class to the British Museum of Natural History at 9:30, so that is why I was up. It was very interesting. Some pictures:
The weather is still cold and overcast here in London. It is supposed to remain in the thirties the rest of the week. It's a type of cold that chills you to the bone. I have seen a few homeless men on the streets, and it is in weather like this that I worry for them. If I am freezing in my long underwear and leather/shearling coat, how much more so are they?
The homework load has already piled up. I am enrolled in 15 hours, and the courses I am taking are: Islam and the West (History credit), Archaeology of the Ancient Near East (History credit), British Life and Culture (History credit), Charles Dickens' England (English credit), and Music Appreciation (Fine Arts credit). I have lots to do as far as assignments in each of these courses! I am in the middle of reading for Islam and the West (I'll refer to it as "Islam" from here on) and reading Oliver Twist for the Dickens class. I also have three essays due this week, two for Islam and one for Music Appreciation. In Archaeology we will be spending a lot of time at the British Museum photographing the collections and compiling detailed presentations on them. As you can see from the photographs on the left, photographing through glass is not easy! I had some practice today at the Natural History museum, but it is very difficult to get a good picture with no glare and no distortion from the glass.
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| Beautiful architecture! The exterior of the Natural History Museum. |
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| Words of Charles Darwin. |
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| The Solitary Potto. I think I may have descended from this particular primate... |
The homework load has already piled up. I am enrolled in 15 hours, and the courses I am taking are: Islam and the West (History credit), Archaeology of the Ancient Near East (History credit), British Life and Culture (History credit), Charles Dickens' England (English credit), and Music Appreciation (Fine Arts credit). I have lots to do as far as assignments in each of these courses! I am in the middle of reading for Islam and the West (I'll refer to it as "Islam" from here on) and reading Oliver Twist for the Dickens class. I also have three essays due this week, two for Islam and one for Music Appreciation. In Archaeology we will be spending a lot of time at the British Museum photographing the collections and compiling detailed presentations on them. As you can see from the photographs on the left, photographing through glass is not easy! I had some practice today at the Natural History museum, but it is very difficult to get a good picture with no glare and no distortion from the glass.
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| Life-size model of a whale. |
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| The Allosaurus in the Dinosaur Exhibit. |
In the Dickens class we will be reading three of this novels. Our assignment for Oliver Twist is 200 pages, or about half of the novel.
Islam is going to be a very interesting class! I think it will be very useful knowledge to gain. Next week, the class is visiting the London Mosque. We will also be visiting several museums throughout the course, as well as the Holocaust Memorial exhibit.
I was originally in Art Appreciation, but I dropped that and picked up Music Appreciation. While I do enjoy looking at art, I must admit I do not find close examination/lectures of it interesting at all. I may visit the galleries of London on my own at some point. The National Gallery in Trafalgar Square, as well as the Tate Modern on the South Bank, both seem compelling enough to make a trip out there!
Tonight the group is headed to see "She Stoops to Conquer" at the National Theater. I am looking forward to it, though I do not know what to expect. In general, I find theater fascinating and I have always enjoyed plays when I have gone. On Thursday night, we are also going to see "We Will Rock You," which is a specific assignment for Music Appreciation, though everyone is going. This Friday will be a trip to Stonehenge and Salisbury.
All in all, this is shaping up to be a very busy and activity-filled week. There isn't much "down" time here in London. Today is my off day from classes, and that has still been busy! I need to complete my reading for Islam first, as that class is in the mornings at 9 am. I am very glad I went to sleep early last night, because it may be a late one tonight!
Here are the promised pictures of the Tower of London:
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| The Tower of London |
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| All Hallows Church, where William Penn was baptized and John Quincy Adams was married. |
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| The jousting armor of Henry VIII in the Royal Armory |
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| Bloody Tower, where Sir Walter Raleigh was imprisoned and the place where the boy princes were murdered by (alleged) order of Richard III. Their bodies were found in a box under stairs in the White Tower during the reign of Charles II (Restoration period, 1660s). |
Monday, January 30, 2012
Post V
I am currently waiting for my laundry to finish. I was almost out of socks and underpants, so I coughed up the 5 pounds and did a load of laundry. Ouch. Living in a hostel has it's highs and lows. I do miss my living arrangements back in the states. I shall especially be glad to see my full-size bed and pillow again!
On Saturday our group took a day trip out to Kent, to Dover and Canterbury. Here are some pictures:
Dover Castle
On the beach of Dover with the castle behind me
A moat! So cool.
The view of Dover from the gate of the castle.
Canterbury Cathedral.
Stained glass that is 1000 years old.
Dover Castle
On the beach of Dover with the castle behind me
A moat! So cool.
The view of Dover from the gate of the castle.
Canterbury Cathedral.
Stained glass that is 1000 years old.Dover was sunny and cold, Canterbury was cloudy and cold. It was very nice to get out of the city for the day and enjoy another part of England. I didn't get to go inside the medieval castle, so I am thinking about taking a day trip up to Dover again so I can do that! I got my fill of the Cathedral while we were there. Very beautiful, and very old!
Classes are in full swing, and today was extremely busy. We toured the Tower of London with our British tour guide. We saw the crown jewels, the royal armory, torture chamber, Bloody Tower, and the places where people where executed. I've decided that the worst way to die would be to have my head removed by a "Jack Ketch," which is what they called the executioners. They were notorious for being terrible executioners. There was one specific person, the Duke of Monmouth, whose head was still not removed after four swings. So the executioner used the ax as a SAW and finished the job! Disgusting... The idea that people enjoyed going to executions just boggles my mind. Completely inhuman. Anne Boleyn, however, requested specifically for a French swordsman to be her executioner. He took her head off in one clean swing. Much better? I think yes.
I have lots of homework to do for class, which includes reading and essay writing. Tomorrow, I have an official "day off" but I am going to go the the Natural History Museum in the morning with the Natural History class. I'm not in that class, but we are welcome to go to sessions and outings if we like.
Anyway, hope you all enjoy the pictures! Forgive the hastily and poorly written nature of this post. I shall redeem myself tomorrow!
Cheers!
Faith
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Friday, January 27, 2012
This is just therapy
Hello.
Friday evening at 8:19 and I am sitting on my bed on the fourth floor of the Pickwick Hostel. I didn't get quite so breathless ascending tonight. This is good. This is progress.
I ran tonight by myself in Russell Square for about forty minutes, and it was wonderful. I listened to Josh Garrels' "Love & War & the Sea in Between." Not exactly music to "pump" oneself up, but for some reason it is just what I needed. His music is achingly human and longing. The intimacy with the Lord that he has is so evident within his music and that nearly brought me to tears as I was running. I got a hold on myself quickly. Crying while running is not the best idea, especially not in a city that seems so emotionally distant.
Being in London has been a great experience in terms of things to see and, for lack of a better word, experience. Emotionally, it has been very difficult. It is a city of millions and everyone is in their own world. It is almost oppressive how lonely I feel as I stand on the train, surrounded on all sides, bodies pressed up against me, yet no one is making eye contact. I find no reason to smile as I walk the streets of London alone. For those who balk at the idea of me being alone in a big city, please don't worry. With my personality, I have to be alone at least 3.87 hours per day or I go crazy. As far as safety goes, I keep to well-populated streets or extremely close to our hostel. Honestly, living in fear is no way to live. I can't be constantly afraid that I am going to be kidnapped, mugged, or raped all the time. I am vigilant and safe, just not paranoid. End of digression.
A song called "The Resistance" is playing in my earphones right now. Yes, it is a Josh Garrels original. He is my current musical obsession. (Check him out, all his music is FREE on NoiseTrade!) A line says "How do good men become a part of the regime? They don't believe in resistance." This speaks to me so strongly about not giving up in the face of a society that has been given over to the Prince of this World. As a believer in Christ, I truly feel the oppression of a post-Christian society. But I also feel oppressed in the Bible Belt. Spiritual warfare is everywhere. I would be a fool if I didn't accept the fact that my battle is not against fleshly foes, but in the mind, in the spirit, and of the unseen realms.
Being away from my spiritual community is very difficult. As I said in a previous post, church was attended by tourists. I miss the Vista back in Belton, I miss John and Christi Barnes, I miss my small group of friends with whom I could discuss anything spiritual. Being away from that is a huge test, one that, to be true, I have been failing miserably as of late. I have been letting the spiritual atmosphere of London depress me and pull me in to my own mind, rather than pulling ever closer to the Lord. Those who are keeping up with this blog, please pray for me to be strong.
I am now listening to a beautiful song based upon the story of Ulysses. For those unfamiliar with this, Ulysses was away from home for over a decade fighting for the Greeks in the Trojan War. His journey home is chronicled in The Odyssey. I'll post the lyrics here:
I’m holding on to the hope that one day this could be made right.
I’ve been shipwrecked, and left for dead, and I have seen the darkest sights.
Everyone I’ve loved seems like a stranger in the night
But Oh my heart still burns, tells me to return, and search the fading light.
I’m sailing home to you I wont be long
By the light of moon I will press on
Until, I find, my love
Trouble has beset my ways, and wicked winds have blown
Sirens call my name, they say they’ll ease my pain, then break me on the stones
But true love is the burden that will carry me back home
Carry me with the, memories of the, beauty I have known
I’m sailing home to you I wont be long
By the light of moon I will press on
So tie me to the mast of this old ship and point me home
Before I lose the one I love, before my chance is gone
I want to hold, her in, my arms
For me, this is a deeply spiritual song, a metaphor if you will. I feel as if I am Ulysses, and his Penelope is my Jesus. The longing in Josh's voice expresses the longing in my soul for just a glimpse of my Savior, for a chance to be held. Someday...
As I posted on my other blog (http://findingandalusia.blogspot.com) there was suicide the other day on the train tracks. Honestly, to think of it sickens me. I ride the Tube daily, and I cannot get the image of someone hurling themselves in front of the train out of my head when I am waiting for my train. What brings someone to that level of desperation? What causes someone to abandon all hope? For me, even when the moment seems like my own personal Hell on Earth, I have always retained a Hope of a better future, even a better tomorrow. That kept me going, and keeps me going still. I hurt for this person who was so deceived as to believe that there was no Hope and no Future. I do pray he has found his peace...
Tomorrow, we are going to Dover Castle and Canterbury. We leave at 7:45 AM. Which is 1:45 in the morning to all you lovely folks back home! I will be sure to take pictures and post. Here are some pictures from the last week:
A chapel near Westminster Abbey.
The Banqueting House on Whitehall where Charles I lost his head. That is his effigy above the door.
St. Martin-in-the-Fields, the church that overlooks Trafalgar Square.
Friday evening at 8:19 and I am sitting on my bed on the fourth floor of the Pickwick Hostel. I didn't get quite so breathless ascending tonight. This is good. This is progress.
I ran tonight by myself in Russell Square for about forty minutes, and it was wonderful. I listened to Josh Garrels' "Love & War & the Sea in Between." Not exactly music to "pump" oneself up, but for some reason it is just what I needed. His music is achingly human and longing. The intimacy with the Lord that he has is so evident within his music and that nearly brought me to tears as I was running. I got a hold on myself quickly. Crying while running is not the best idea, especially not in a city that seems so emotionally distant.
Being in London has been a great experience in terms of things to see and, for lack of a better word, experience. Emotionally, it has been very difficult. It is a city of millions and everyone is in their own world. It is almost oppressive how lonely I feel as I stand on the train, surrounded on all sides, bodies pressed up against me, yet no one is making eye contact. I find no reason to smile as I walk the streets of London alone. For those who balk at the idea of me being alone in a big city, please don't worry. With my personality, I have to be alone at least 3.87 hours per day or I go crazy. As far as safety goes, I keep to well-populated streets or extremely close to our hostel. Honestly, living in fear is no way to live. I can't be constantly afraid that I am going to be kidnapped, mugged, or raped all the time. I am vigilant and safe, just not paranoid. End of digression.
A song called "The Resistance" is playing in my earphones right now. Yes, it is a Josh Garrels original. He is my current musical obsession. (Check him out, all his music is FREE on NoiseTrade!) A line says "How do good men become a part of the regime? They don't believe in resistance." This speaks to me so strongly about not giving up in the face of a society that has been given over to the Prince of this World. As a believer in Christ, I truly feel the oppression of a post-Christian society. But I also feel oppressed in the Bible Belt. Spiritual warfare is everywhere. I would be a fool if I didn't accept the fact that my battle is not against fleshly foes, but in the mind, in the spirit, and of the unseen realms.
Being away from my spiritual community is very difficult. As I said in a previous post, church was attended by tourists. I miss the Vista back in Belton, I miss John and Christi Barnes, I miss my small group of friends with whom I could discuss anything spiritual. Being away from that is a huge test, one that, to be true, I have been failing miserably as of late. I have been letting the spiritual atmosphere of London depress me and pull me in to my own mind, rather than pulling ever closer to the Lord. Those who are keeping up with this blog, please pray for me to be strong.
I am now listening to a beautiful song based upon the story of Ulysses. For those unfamiliar with this, Ulysses was away from home for over a decade fighting for the Greeks in the Trojan War. His journey home is chronicled in The Odyssey. I'll post the lyrics here:
I’m holding on to the hope that one day this could be made right.
I’ve been shipwrecked, and left for dead, and I have seen the darkest sights.
Everyone I’ve loved seems like a stranger in the night
But Oh my heart still burns, tells me to return, and search the fading light.
I’m sailing home to you I wont be long
By the light of moon I will press on
Until, I find, my love
Trouble has beset my ways, and wicked winds have blown
Sirens call my name, they say they’ll ease my pain, then break me on the stones
But true love is the burden that will carry me back home
Carry me with the, memories of the, beauty I have known
I’m sailing home to you I wont be long
By the light of moon I will press on
So tie me to the mast of this old ship and point me home
Before I lose the one I love, before my chance is gone
I want to hold, her in, my arms
For me, this is a deeply spiritual song, a metaphor if you will. I feel as if I am Ulysses, and his Penelope is my Jesus. The longing in Josh's voice expresses the longing in my soul for just a glimpse of my Savior, for a chance to be held. Someday...
As I posted on my other blog (http://findingandalusia.blogspot.com) there was suicide the other day on the train tracks. Honestly, to think of it sickens me. I ride the Tube daily, and I cannot get the image of someone hurling themselves in front of the train out of my head when I am waiting for my train. What brings someone to that level of desperation? What causes someone to abandon all hope? For me, even when the moment seems like my own personal Hell on Earth, I have always retained a Hope of a better future, even a better tomorrow. That kept me going, and keeps me going still. I hurt for this person who was so deceived as to believe that there was no Hope and no Future. I do pray he has found his peace...
Tomorrow, we are going to Dover Castle and Canterbury. We leave at 7:45 AM. Which is 1:45 in the morning to all you lovely folks back home! I will be sure to take pictures and post. Here are some pictures from the last week:
A chapel near Westminster Abbey.
The Banqueting House on Whitehall where Charles I lost his head. That is his effigy above the door.
St. Martin-in-the-Fields, the church that overlooks Trafalgar Square.
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