Beyond Bringing Up Boys

Zac and I stepped out of the Tube this morning to this beautiful, iconic sight: We were on our way to Westminster Abbey for the 10:00 tour. (The church seems to have been leaning a little bit to the right at this moment. Something about keeping up with that church at Pisa.) The pic above shows the famous west entrance used for state events, including Diana's funeral. W e entered through the north entrance, depicted below. We were met inside by a man who informed us, in hushed and reverent tones, that although we purchased a ticket to get inside the building for a tour, we had not actually purchased the tour itself. The pronouncement sounded odd, but he sounded sincere, so we handed over another £10. (Yes, the dead are pricey these days, but the £10 pounds for a guided tour was a fantastic investment.) The Westminster Abbey tour humbled me. I left feeling very small, wanting to live a life filled with meaning -- a life of consequence. The tour made me ...

This morning Zac and I arrived at the train station 15 minutes before our scheduled departure at 07:00. Answer: "Because Hounslow has two train stations." Question: "Why can we not find our train on the schedule?" We hustled 15 minutes down the road to the other station and watched "our" train leave without us.  No problem-- we caught the next train at 07:31.  One of the unusual sights today was the   number of people dressed in formal clothing. Especially students. We saw hundreds of high school students taking the train to school, and not only were they all in uniforms, they were all wearing coats, too. They looked really spiffy! Oxford was no different. University students and profs wearing suits and ties walked the sidewalks.  To begin the Oxford visit, Zac had some cinnamon rolls with his hot tea. I think most world crises could be solved if the meeting started with a couple of cinnamon rolls. I will share a few Oxford pic...

Tonight as I listen to the unusual sound of double-decker busses growling impatiently at the passenger pickup right below my window, I realize that that today London has provided more of the unexpected than the expected.  I begin with mass transit. As scheduled and routine driven as is public transportation, I found myself thrown off stride sometimes by the Tube. First, understand that I am blessed to travel with Zac, who seems to have an inate understanding of the oldest subway system in the world. He has also planned the trip extremely well and purchased the tix in advance. But when we arrived at the London Gatwick airport, we were told that the subway tickets Zac had purchased were only good in London, not for the track from Gatwick to London. Who would've known that London Gatwick is not actually London?? That's what I mean – – mass transit always keeps me slightly off stride.  Which brings me to my next point: England is obviously an English-speaking nation, but I heard v...