Shop til you drop—literally.

We slept in (7:30), and after getting ready and grabbing breakfast, we went to Oxford Street a.k.a. a fashionista’s paradise. The equivalent of New York’s Soho, it is a mile-long street lined with an endless array of stores. Finally, I did some shopping that didn’t involve windows, as even with the ghastly conversion rate, it was not unreasonable.

After a quick pub lunch, we braved the British Museum. A collection of historical pieces, the museum really was spectacular. We mainly focused on the Egyptian, Greek and Roman rooms. The museum has many pieces from the Parthenon, and it is a highly contested debate as to whether the British or the Greeks should have the right to display the sculptures and wall engravings. The museum had an “unbiased” packet explaining the situation, which left me feeling that the U.K. had every right to the pieces, and that those Greeks are just crazy!

Mom couldn’t handle all that history after our full morning, and had to step outside while Lindell and I went on a free “eyeopener” tour about Ancient Egypt. It was extremely interesting, and confirms my belief that while crowding around one woman who must yell in order for everyone to hear has its drawbacks, there is a lot of information, especially chronological, general history, the little plaques in front of sculptures/paintings/artifacts just can’t provide.

Next was the eveningsong at Westminster Abbey. Sheila gave us the tip that while admission to the church is costly, the daily eveningsong is free, and is an excellent opportunity to admire the inside of the church and the renowned boys choir.

Top 5 of the trip for sure. Ethereal is the only word I can think to describe it. Angelic. Goose-bump worthy. Amazing. Wow-- those boys can sing. They were made even more charming by their high-collared, frilly choir robes. When one of the boy’s necks would begin to itch, you could tell he wanted nothing more than to forget it and focus on singing instead, but alas, he always ended up giving into the annoying itch and scratching vigorously.

After debating whether it was worth a tube ride to try out a new pub, we decided to stick with a favorite and walked to the Builder’s Arms for our second visit. Once again, delicious. Annie would have been proud