SUNDAY IN LONDON

The days are very long here. I woke up just before dawn around 4.20am. Sunset is about 9.20pm. As I had no idea how long it would take me to get to church I thought I had better start out early. At home there is very little public transport on Sunday. Soon discovered it is not like that in London. There are people using the trains and buses constantly.

I left home at 7am and walked the short distance to the bus stop opposite the one I had got off at the day before. Wasn't too long before I saw a rail replacement bus coming along. I waved my arms frantically at the driver but he just looked and carried on. So frustrating. Then I realised this bus stop did not have a sign on it saying it was a replacement stop. Learned a lot about justice and mercy right then. Justice said I was not in the right place therefore he need not stop. Mercy said it was obvious I wanted to catch that bus and there were no other vehicles around and I was at a bus stop. Justice won! When I got to the correct bus stop it only took about ten minutes before the next bus came – and picked me up! TM - lost count!

While I was waiting for the bus I discovered why it is so noisy in my room. We are in the flight path to Heathrow Airport. I counted five planes in ten minutes. Then there are cars, trucks and buses that also use this street.

Back to Turnham Green station to get a train to London.

At Turnham Green Station

I got off the train at South Kensington at 7.50am. Church doesn't start until 9am. After a bit of wandering around and figuring out where the chapel was I entered the building 40 minutes before church was due to start. My earliest time to church ever! Lucky I had downloaded the latest Ensign magazine on my phone so I was able to sit quietly and read.

In front of the Hyde Park Chapel

People are fascinating. I am in England so I expect to hear the Queen's English spoken by Caucasian looking people. Not even! The Caucasian couple who spoke in Sacrament had recently arrived to live in London from Texas. In Sunday School the stake patriarch spoke with a lovely English accent and his skin was totally black. In Relief Society the teacher was American. A lot of the white people had come from different European countries. There were about 30 young ladies visiting from BYU and only a handful of sisters from the local ward present. In the street I could hear all kinds of languages being spoken. Really missed seeing some Polynesian faces though.

After church I wondered what I should do for the rest of the day. I knew I could not go back to my room and sit in front of my laptop for hours. The chair I have is not that comfortable. London has many free museums so I decided to visit the one across the road from the chapel. The Science Museum. Totally fascinating. I spent nearly four hours wandering around its five floors. The area I found most fascinating was the medical history. So glad I live now. So much history represented in agriculture, machinery, astronomy, technology etc. There were a lot of hands on places for children to experience the wonders of science. There was a steel column with a big sign on the floor around it which said “Do not touch”. Of course many people did. They got a mild electric shock for their disobedience.

The National Archives are closed tomorrow. A whole day in London – what should I do?