Today we traveled all over London. Though it took a while for us to leave the flat (after we got there of course) there was still plenty of daylight for us to burn. We went to the wax museum, Madame Tussands, which was pretty cool. Laura and I spent the first few seconds waiting for a woman to take a picture...but it turned out the woman was made of wax too! We laughed and decided to get as many pictures as we could with the "famous" people we knew. Some of the wax people were amazingly lifelike in appearance.
After the wax museum, Mom, Laura, and I went for some brunch (their first experience with fish and chips and vinegar) and then popped on the tube towards the National Gallery. The other interns and Kirsten met us amidst the paintings, and we joked about the different images. It was good to laugh and hang out with people our age.
The highlight of the night, however, was seeing the play Oliver! We had seats in the nose-bleed section and it was dizzying! But there were no obstructions to our sight, and the tickets had not been that expensive, and you could still hear very well, so I was satisfied. As each song began the familiar lyrics came back to me. Laura had actually played Oliver in a community production of "Oliver Twist," and though I was not part of the cast, I must have seen the play 8 or so times. The actors' voices were lovely, and the sets were astounding. I came out of the theatre singing and quoting, having had a fantastic time.
We all went to a cafe for coffee and dessert (and then McDonald's for SJ, who had not been able to grab supper with us), and then we hopped on the underground to catch a train. Unfortunately, it was so late that there were no trains going out to the station near my flat. I became increasingly worried as I realized the most direct route home was through a sketchy part of London. I like to think that I am not a worrier...I am fairly go-with-the-flow as far as plans go, but tonight there were no trains and I was not sure if the bus was still going. If the bus didn't come, I didn't know what to do or how to get out of the sketchy part of town. I began panicking as our wait at the bus stop turned from 5, to ten minutes. From ten to fifteen...I fidgeted and put my face in my hands. What will we do if the bus does not come this late? I really was at a loss.
Naturally, God provided for us. The correct bus came and our crew piled on, getting off at the right bus stop, and making it to the flat safely. But I must admit, my faith was not very strong in those moments near the bus stop. Things were out of my control, and I had become almost sick with worry. I'm so thankful that God took care of us, but I am a bit concerned at my response.
I wish I could write more, but I am about to pass out from exhaustion. I don't know how Laura is still up...we will go to the market tomorrow and then night church. I still have a lot of planning to do, but I must sleep first. It has been a pretty awesome birthday experience thus far.
Yeah, I have NO idea how you all were still up! I don't even know if I remember you crawling into bed....lol
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