Mom

Ale and I made it to the Mother Land on Mother's Day safe and sound! After getting no sleep on the overnight flight, we were determined to stay awake so the day didn't go to waste. Let me tell you, it was rough. I felt like a zombie walking around London with my eyes half-closed and my mouth hanging open because it took less effort than the alternative. But we saw a lot and we became acquainted with the town, so it was worth feeling (and probably looking) like crap the whole day.

The following picture comes from the tube (basically London's subway) and it is the longest escalator I have ever seen in my life. It is steep and ridiculously long. Good thing it was operating because even the RB stairs couldn't train me for this mountain of a staircase.

When we got out of the subway and finally saw the streets of England in real life, an older man started talking to us before Ale and I had even spoken two sentences to each other. He wanted to know where we were going, and where we were staying the night. (I'm thinking "well this is a great start to our trip.") Don't worry Mom and Dad, we handled it well. He was just a nice, (crazy) old man trying to help us find our way. I just thought it was a funny story.

We decided to visit The Museum of London. It was free, and it was the coolest museum ever. I saw artifacts from people who died of the black plague in London during the middle ages. It's cool to think that those artifacts have never left this city. We also saw part of the Berlin wall, and that made me happy because it fell the year I was born so I have a special connection to it!

Before we made it to the museum, we accidentally found this building:

Saint Paul's Cathedral! As I walked in, I heard a man's voice resonating throughout the gorgeous-and I mean gorgeous-cathedral. (Seriously, this picture shows nothing of its beauty. I fell in love with the ceiling!) Then a choir joined in the musical liturgy and it was simply beautiful. We stayed for part of mass, which was fun because I've always wanted to see Catholic services. Also, the LDS services began while our plane was landing, so we weren't able to attend. But at least I went to a church, right? On our way out of the cathedral, we lit votive candles. I don't really know what they are for, but I assume they are meant as a prayer or something like that. I lit mine for my sweetheart mother. 

Mom, thanks for being so compassionate. Thanks for being willing to look for flights and hostels with me at 2am. Thanks for driving me to the airport and giving me your jacket. Thanks for Thanks for your helpfulness and patience all the time. Happy Mother's Day! I love you!

I still haven't slept for a long, long time. I'm hoping I will be able to sleep tonight! I'm staying in a room with 8 other people, and only 2 of them are here right now. So we'll see how it goes. I love England! 

OH! I saw zebras all over town today and I was excited because I know what they are! Also, I love the brick here. Nearly every building has at least two colors of brick, and they are all pretty unique. I especially love the brick that is old and darkened. I keep taking pictures of all the different kinds of brick! Maybe I will do a post just about brick. Evan and Brenna and Kate, feel free to make fun of me all you want!

Cheers! Loch Sloy!

Meryl