Friday night I met a friend-of-a-friend. My friend, Amanda, is in Dallas and used to work with Anna, who is from Poland. Anna lives in a section of London called "Little Bombay", so appropriately we went out for Indian food. It was amazing!
Saturday morning I went to St. Paul's Underground stop to watch the Lord Mayor's Parade. The Lord Mayor's Show is always on the second Saturday of November:
St. Paul's Cathedral
"In return for the support he received from the City, King John granted a Charter on May 9th 1215, confirming the citizens' right to choose their own Mayor and instituting an annual election. The King's condition was that the man chosen by the people was to be presented to him for his approval, and had to swear an oath of allegiance. The Charter stipulated that the new Mayor must be presented to the Sovereign for approval and to swear fealty to the Crown, so each year the newly elected Mayor had to travel from the City to Westminster to pledge allegiance. The Lord Mayor has been making that yearly journey for 784 years."
- http://www.lordmayorsshow.org/
Saturday evening, my flatmate (Elizabeth-Anne) and I went to the Ealing Cricket Club for a Fireworks Display and Bonfire in celebration of Guy Fawkes Night:
"In 1605, thirteen young men planned to blow up the Houses of Parliament. Among them was Guy Fawkes, Britain's most notorious traitor. Fawkes was caught on November 5th with 36 barrels of gunpowder in the cellar of Parliament, and then he was tortured and executed. On the very night that the Gunpowder Plot was foiled, agitated Londoners joyfully lit bonfires in thanksgiving. The event is commemorated every year with fireworks and burning effigies of Guy Fawkes on a bonfire."
So even though November 5th was on a Wednesday this week, there were bonfires and fireworks throughout the City from Wed- to the weekend.
This morning I went to a new church, Holy Trinity Brompton, which is located in an amazing part of London where many museums are.
This church was recommended to me from my friend, Erin (sorority sister in Tulsa), whose friend lived here for 3 years. I'm loving all of the suggestions and recommendations from people about where to go and what to see. This church service made me feel even more at home, and I'm looking forward to getting to know more about the church and how to get involved.
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