100,000 trapped on trains for hours on Hottest Day of the Year

Yes, Monday was the day we chose to venture into London. We didn’t go on the “Senior Sneak” that the other senior missionaries had in Southampton. Rather, we did our own thing and used our Freedom Passes to visit London. The trip home was unbelievable with cancelled and delayed trains and masses of not very happy people trying to get home. Inside the trains it was standing room only and suffocating with no A/C. The only relief was when the train was running and fresh air could come in the small transom windows.

But enough of that, the rest of the day was superb! We watched with excitement as London itself came into view with London Bridge to our right and St. Paul’s to the left and a glimpse in the distance of the Eye on London.

Crossing the river

We soon found a tube station and headed to Kensington South where we walked to the vicinity of the Albert and Victoria Museum, knowing that the Hyde Park Chapel would be nearby.

We've heard much about the Hyde Park Chapel; it was wonderful to finally see it.

We’ve been told that it’s the most expensive piece of real estate that the church owns. It’s quite large and has a small visitors centre, employment centre, mission office and Family History Centre as well as the chapel, classrooms and other offices. We enjoyed visiting with a senior missionary couple in the mission office, who gave us restaurant suggestions.

This is the view out the window from the mission office. They explained about the mews, which were the stables for the houses that surround the area. They’re now some of the most expensive real estate around and are small but very tidy and well kept.

Cute!

We walked through Imperial College which was along a lovely tree shaded street.

On the way to lunch we passed some interesting sites.

Bill at the Baden-Powell House. He began the Boy Scout Movement.

We have seen more scaffolding in England than we've seen in our whole lives. It's everywhere.

Rent-a-bike!

Next stop: Harrods.

Words cannot describe this place. It’s everything I’ve heard about it and I was eager to explore and see how far my gift card would go. (thanks, Susie!)

After getting our fill of retail therapy, we retraced our steps to the tube, train and finally home. What a great day!