First Real Day

April 30, 2010

This morning, I woke up at about 6:30. I didn’t really want to be awake, but the sun was coming in and my body was telling me to be up and at it. Michelle was still on another planet dreaming, so I went down to chat with Janice as she made breakfast for us. It was a lovely English breakfast of bacon, tomato and eggs with toast. Janice really is so kind for inviting us in and treating us so incredibly. We rushed to get ready and out the door, which was difficult for Michelle because the borrowed curling iron is about a fourth the size of hers back home, and we rushed to get to her Disney audition at Covent Gardens at a small dance studio called Pineapple Studios. The auditions took from about 10:00 to 1:30, most likely because about 600 girls were vying for about 25 coveted princess spots. She made the first few cuts, but then was asked to go, which wasn’t so bad considering how hot and moist the building had become with so many dancers. You could cut the air with a knife! We began walking toward the Covent Garden Market when we came up to a peculiar and beautiful building that turned out to be the Great Lodge of the Freemasons where their temple is. We took a free tour of the building and learned all kinds of things about freemasonry. Turns out that Edward, the duke of Kent is the Grand Master of London. It was an incredible building with deep rich mahogany and a few bronze doors that weigh 1.5 tons each. Such a neat experience. We ate at a small chain called Peta A Manager which promises that all food served was prepared same-day. A great place for sandwiches and food on the go. After the lunch, we made our way to the nearby British Museum, which is essentially the Smithsonian of Britain. We walked through a neat exhibit about the enlightenment that taught about the people who sought learning by collecting and observing rather than presenting it as a simple historical period. The libraries and collections of these incredible men were showcased in the exhibit. We also spent some time looking at the Egyptian gallery, complete with mummies and the Rosetta stone. After the British Museum, I noticed on the map that Soho Square was nearby, so I wanted to go there. It was nothing special at all, just a small, square park in the middle of the city. As I discovered later, it used to be the center of the red light district. Luckily it’s been cleaned up, or Michelle and I would have had quite the surprise. By the time we finished at Soho, we were tuckered out, so we took the tube at Totteham Court Road back to Wimbledon. We spent the evening having tea and biscuits with Janice and neighbor Shirley which was really lovely, especially feeding the fox that comes begging for food at the back door.