Temples and Proms

This week we had the amazing experience of visiting the London LDS temple to do baptisms for the dead. This trip was especially fun for me because it was on the grounds of this temple, 10 years ago, that my sister Tammy decided she would go on a mission. What a special moment to walk around and think of her.

The temple trip took most of the day, but in the evening we got all dressed up to go to Proms. Not Prom, but Proms, the world's greatest classical music festival. It was held at the Royal Albert Hall - just a short walk through the park. The orchestra played songs by Debussey, Ravel, and Falla.

The next day we went to the British Museum. This was pretty amazing. I felt like a child lighting up as I walked through all the things I had studied this last year in History 201 and Humanities 201. The Elgin marbles were especially fun because I realized that I was seeing more of the Parthenon in London than I'd probably ever see in Athens itself.

The British Museum also has an incredible collection of mummies. It was a bit creepy, but way cool to see some of these mummies. My two favorites were accidentally preserved by natural elements like sand and bog. One man was identified as being from 3400BC, and I could still see the remnants of hair on his scalp and the fingernails on his tiny hands! Through studies, they actually know exactly what the Bog man was eating before he died: cake and mistletoe seeds. They described him as been a well-groomed 25 year old. I bet he was quite the charmer before he was murdered and thrown in the bog. I didn't take pictures of him, but if you want to see what your skin would look like after thousands of years in a bog, look up "Lindow Man" on Google images.



Notice my new coat I purchased at Primark! I love how British it is.



After a bite to eat, my friends, Olive and Patria, and I decided to go for an evening run. We ran from our Centre to Big Ben. What a divine time for a run! This run takes you through three parks: Kensington Gardens, Hyde Park, and St. James' park. You run past Buckingham Palace and end up at Big Ben and Westminster Abbey. We stopped to stretch on the bridge overlooking Parliament on the Thames. I had the strangest realization that I am LIVING here in London. This city has become my home in many ways, I didn't realize how much I am going to miss it when I leave. I know once I am on that plane, I will not be able to contain my anxious desire to be with my family again in Salt Lake, but I'm glad to know that there will always be a part of London in my heart.

BRITISH PHRASE OF THE POST - "litter bin" = trash can