On Sunday I went to the Victoria and Albert Museum. Though I didn't know it at the time, this would turn out to be the only museum I visited on my trip. It's a lovely museum and it would be easy to spend a great deal of time there. Some of the exhibits I particularly liked included clothing from the past 300 years -- if you think clothing today can be strange, check out some of the styles from the 1700s! They also had beautiful displays of stained glass going back hundreds of years, and new art glass that was beautiful. They had everything from armor to jewelry on display.

On Monday we took the tube to Westminster Station and went to visit Parliament. One of the first things that strikes you as you come out of the station is Big Ben. In this case, another thing that was immediately evident was that there was a protest relating to Augusto Pinochet. Pinochet is in England but there is an effort to extradite him to Spain. The Law Lords were beginning a hearing into the matter, so both pro- and anti-Pinochet groups were demonstrating. It was all quite peaceful, just a bit loud. I'm sure the heavy police presence helped insure the peace. We weren't able to get into the House of Lords or House of Commons because of the hearings. We'll have to save that for a future trip!

Westminster Abbey is across the street from Parliament. This church is an amazing combination of religion, history, and state. Though they make efforts to remind you that the religious side is at the heart of Westminster Abbey, it's hard to remember that fact when you're looking at the tomb of Queen Elizabeth I or the plaques honoring poets and musicians. English monarchs are crowned at Westminster Abbey, and you can view the chair where each has sat during the ceremony. I think that the history outweighs the religion here. The building is beautiful. I thought one of the prettiest areas was Henry the Seventh's Chapel.

We ended up going to Picadilly Circus when it came time for dinner. Picadilly Circus reminds me a great deal of Times Square in New York -- lots of people, lots of activity, lots of lights. Just walking around gives you a sense of excitement. We found an Indian restaurant for dinner, then David went off to look around on his own. Paul and I found our way to a pub where we ended the day.

London Scrapbook

Acknowledgement: Background from