Camden Town and Evensong

Yesterday we had a day off of work!  It was a national "bank holiday"...nobody that I've asked actually knows what that means, but I'm thankful to the British government for it.  Anyhow, the weather was gorgeous again!  Another clear, sunny day with cool breezes and no schedule.  The other girls and I decided to head north for an afternoon of shopping at the Camden Town market.

This marketplace is one of the most popular in London.  It used to be a weekend affair, but when the vendors realized they could get just as much business on the weekdays, they set up permanent shop and it became a daily occasion.  The stands sell just what you'd expect: clothing, shoes, handmade jewelry, watercolors, etc.  We did find some more unique places selling things like leather bound journals, Indian artifacts, and fresh squeezed orange juice (one of my favorite things!).  We decided to be adventurous and try some Indian curry from a street food stand - and it was delicious!

Getting ready to order our first bites of curry

At the eating area beside the street food stands

When we had finished spending way more money than we needed to, we wandered over to Regents Park.  In this park is the London zoo, the London Business School, and the residence of the U.S. ambassador (Winfield house).  We didn't get a chance to visit any of those, but they're all on my list!  Besides, we were too busy napping in the lush grass, as were many other groups of friends and families having picnics or playing soccer (oops...football).  As I said before, the weather could not have been more perfect, and it felt good to lay down after walking around bargaining with aggressive sellers all day.

Relaxing in Regents park

We woke up and were all craving ice cream, so we hopped on the tube and rode over to Leicester Square to search for the the quaint little gelato shop pictured below.  Gelupo was rated by Time Out London as one of London's best dessert shops, and as far as I could tell they were right.  It was tucked away on a quiet side street, and although it was obviously overpriced, the gelato was fantastic.  I picked two flavors: espresso and mint stracciatella, all of which was gone in a matter of seconds.

Gelupo, a gelato shop on Archer Street

Our sweet tooths now satisfied, we walked through St. James's Park towards Westminster Abbey.  This is yet another of London's beautiful parks, just east of Buckingham Palace.  The outside path of the park runs right by the Horse Guards Parade (the building and open grounds behind me in the picture below), which is where Henry VIII held jousting tournaments way back when.  Honestly, I only know this because I Googled it, but I'm glad I took the time to do so.  The thing about London is that there are so many ancient, magnificent buildings, that after a while you begin to overlook the fact that each one has a story behind it.  Hundreds, and even thousands of years ago, people from another world entirely walked, ate, gossiped, and battled in the same places I walk now.  I know it's cheesy, but I have really been surprised and fascinated by the history I've learned during my time in London.  Just about every landmark you see has been around much longer than the United States has been a country, so it's really worth doing the research to discover the history behind it!

The Horse Guards Parade (and the London Eye - upper right!) 

The girls and I finished off the day by attending the five o'clock service at Westminster Abbey, a choral worship service called Evensong.  We silently filed into the church, my mouth was hanging wide at the height of the arched ceilings and the detailed statues and inscriptions on every inch of the interior.  No matter how many times you walk into Westminster Abbey, it is always breathtaking.  The architects truly designed this church as a testament to the beauty, magnificence, and glory of God.  The choir's songs rang perfectly through the ancient halls; the way it echoed and filled the room gave me goosebumps.  We've all heard the sounds of medieval choruses on soundtracks of movies like The Other Boleyn Girl and Ever After, but it's just not the same as when you're standing in the church yourself, the sound reverberating off your own skin and flying to the unreachable nooks of the ceiling.  Although the service was an old-fashioned form of worship, the experience of God's majesty and grace was just the same, if not more powerful because it was displayed in a different way.

Westminster Abbey

I am so thankful for the gorgeous weekend I spent with my girls!  Now it's back to work for the week...more adventures coming up soon, including Engage, a connection event at Hillsong, and happy hour at the Marines' house...that's right ladies, men in uniform ;)  Stay tuned!

Much love,

Hayley