London 2024 Day One

 Our train to London was canceled, so we quickly picked up another and were on our way from Paris. Turns out that London was slammed on a Sunday afternoon. We checked into to our FANTASTIC Airbnb -- it is so good it deserves it's own post. After getting settled, we caught a 94 bus to Charles II street and walked to Saint Martin-in-the-Fields for a candlelight performance of Handel's Messiah. The streets were so crowed, the busses could not get through and the journey took over an hour. We had a quick supper in the Crypt restaurant before taking our pew. The Georgian church was the perfect setting for the concert. Kris and I realized we had never seen the entire performance from beginning to end. It was otherworldly! I had the feels (frisson) over and over throughout the Hallelujah Chorus. The performers were a double quintet of St Martin's Voices and the small St Martin's Chamber Orchestra of no more than 10 instruments. They were perfect! 

Because the crowds had been so ferocious and busses so slow, we decided to take the Circle line home from the Embankment station. We waited half an hour for a circle line train while scads of Richmond and Wimbledon trains came one after the other. The Circle line is still the "misery line." A bit of grocery shopping on the way home to bed. 

Touchdown at St. Pancras International

An impromptu VW Minibus parade on Regents Street: there were

probably two dozen or so, all lit up w/ Christmas lights

 

Throngs on Trafalgar Square

Dinner in the Crypt

Dickie is the only man in London who is too warm

for a jacket (photo: Annie)

The photo Dickie was taking of two very

popular influencers

St. Martin's Lane all lit up

Trafalgar Square

St Matin's Voices and Chamber Orchestra

St. Martin's fabulous leaded pane design

View of the City from the Embankment Station -- All the big building

along the river are lit with red lights (double click twice to enlarge)

There will be more.

OXO

D.