Polished and Rubbed

It is said that a jem is not polished without rubbing, nor a man made perfect without trials. Today my trial lay in rubbing, so what does that say?

This morning began with breakfast at "Inn The Park" inside Royal St. James park and across the way from the Horse Guards. After breakfast we got to see the Horse Guards as they were lining up for inspection before changing posts. Hayden LOVES "Neigh, Neigh"s so this was definitely a highlight for him.
Oh to be a horse and live in these digs.
Afterwards, we walked through Trafalgar Square to St. Martin-in-the-Fields to do some Brass Rubbings in the Crypt. The church and Crypt are beautiful. The Crypt Cafe´ is very medieval and the low swooping brick ceilings are stunning. I wish I could've captured it in a photo but I couldn't do it justice. Outside St. Martin's is a big brick statue with a baby Jesus on the top and a line from John 1:14 written around each side. Hayden loves babies so we stuck him on top and let him have a little one on one J.C. time. Considering they're not religious I think this will probably be as close as he gets. There were so many brass plate choices. From post card size to life size. Jasper rubbed a dragon, a unicorn, and a nativity scene. I rubbed a Partridge in a Pear Tree with the quotes from the song written across the back. Hayden did an Elephant with help from Mom. They're all really cool. It took a lot of time and concentration with changing colors, pressing down and trying to get all the lines covered and outlined. Our wrists hurt when we were done but it was worth it.
H & Baby J
John 1: 14 The word became flesh, and the flesh became the word, and the word was grace and truth.
Window behind the alter of St. Martin-of-the-Field
In the afternoon we went to The British Museum. The nice thing about museums here is that they're free and guilt free. There's just a donation box out front and unless you're seeing a special exhibit not a word otherwise is said about it. The sense of history in Europe is overwhelming and humbling. It is so cool to know where you come from and who came before you to make it all possible. In the U.S. we have to go find those places. In London (and other parts of Europe) they're surrounding you, reminding you. Something very special about this particular museum is that it is home to the Rosetta Stone! We also saw the Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece and Rome, and Europe exhibits.
The Rosetta Stone
Ceiling of the British Museum Reading Room by Norman Foster
Ancient Egyptian grave with the possesions he was burried with. The body was preserved like this from the dryness of the sand. Amazing.
I had the night off and decided to do something very Sarah and very New York...see a Broadway Show! :) It's actually cheaper to see shows here. I got an orchestra seat to Wicked for about 1/2 of what you'd pay in NYC, and on the night of the show! Although it was the same show it had it's differences. The accents, obviously, and the special effects and backgrounds. It's the little things. There was an electrical shortage that stopped the show mid-way for 15 minutes, but it was no biggie and I got to know the lovely couple next to me. One thing that wasn't different was the lead, who plays Elphaba (Kerry Ellis) was also the lead in NYC when I saw the show earlier this year! That was a pleasant surprise! She just finished her 6 month tour in NYC and returned to London. She's incredible, and so was the show.