Eleanor Rigby.

In hand: cappuccino at Starbucks.  My partner discount is reason enough to come here, right? 


I titled this "Eleanor Rigby" for two reasons: 1. The Beatles, obviously, and 2. I think I was one of those "lonely people" this past week.  Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed my time in London so much.  I interacted with some people in my hostel and in my travels, but to be honest, I felt pretty alone.  I longed to be traveling around and exploring London WITH other people, like I did in Ireland and Scotland.  And I'm starting to really miss my friends, Alex, and my family.  If only you all could be here with me!  This is good timing though, because today I start my stay with my host family.  I'm looking forward to meeting them, eating some home-cooked meals, and just being around people!


London is an incredible city.  There was so much to see and explore- I loved the free museums, the old, white, and detailed buildings, the bridges, the history!  I went to the National Portrait Gallery on Tuesday and spent over an hour looking at portraits of important people from England's history starting with the 1400s all the way to the 1900s.  I told my momma this earlier, but I soon started my own game called, "Would this person be attractive with different hair and clothes?"  I don't know why this is, but people from "back in the day" (1400-1800s) just aren't very attractive.  To be fair, I'm sure they were attractive back then?

"Hey, baby."

Either way, it was a fun game and I learned some interesting things about England's history, which is highly complicated and dense.  I also loved learning more about Queen Victoria, who is pretty awesome, and I was able to see her memorial outside of Buckingham Palace yesterday!

My 12-person room for 5 nights in the hostel!

Westminster Abbey.

Mr. Ben.

National Gallery while the sun is out!

Cappuccino time!

The Olympic countdown!

Oh, these city buildings were too cool.

Getting my museum on.

London Eye!

Tower Bridge!

Picadilly Circus!

Victoria and Albert Museum.

Big Ol' Harrod's.

Queen Victoria memorial and Buckingham Palace!

After tea with the Queen.

St. Paul's cathedral!  It was soooo huge!

Tea time. =)

Covent Garden, a really cool marketplace area. 

I'd say that in my days here I did a pretty good job of exploring different parts of London, and yesterday while I was enjoying some Earl Grey tea, I came to the conclusion that I really do love cities.  I love that they are full of people- either to meet and have conversations with or just to watch.  In the city, there's always things happening and though there's so much hustle and bustle around, there are also many places of refuge.  Cities are jam-packed with so much rich culture and history.  And with that, there's the culture of the city as a whole, but also different cultures brought in by such different groups of people.  Cities are full of variety- you can have "your place" that you go to all the time, but you also have the freedom to try an infinite amount of new places. Cities are also divided into distinct parts that have their own roles within the city.  For example, the Soho area here is full of lights, music, bars, restaurants, theaters, and shops, and serves as an area for a fun night out.  Cities are homes to different museums and various venues for shows or concerts.  I love that cities draw visitors from all over, who walk around in awe of such a new and exciting place.  I also love the public transportation systems that cities have, and the feeling that comes along with finally figuring out how they work!  Most of all, I love that cities are growing and ALIVE and waiting to be served.  And though I was feeling a bit lonely this week, I'm excited to travel and live in cities in the future where I can work with the church to love and serve the real "Eleanor Rigbys."

"In cities, you have more Image of God per square inch than anywhere else in the world."

- Timothy Keller.

"The city is humanity's greatest invention." - Edward Glaeser.

"Surely I am with you always." - Matthew 28:20.