First few days of tour...

The clouds finally parted to reveal green grasses and quaint brick and white houses encircled about by little curvy roads dotted with colorful little cars driving on the wrong side of the road.  

The painful lines of customs and baggage usually end in my running off on public transport, carrying around luggage through many transfers and across many squares.   But while in a big group, we are transported by a double decker coach directly from the airport to the hotel.  it's quite nice. 

London shimmers with rain and 'mist' (as I call it), covered with puddles and cigarette butts.  I've run a few times already to make deadlines and find our way to the nearest tube station.  Mostly I love the diversity here, accents, colors, food and traditions from across the world.  It is wonderful.   I am so grateful for all I learn from different cultures.  

Tuesday.   
Shortly after seven, I pulled open the tapestry-like curtains to see the green park gated by rod iron and a magnificent cream and white building with detail . I smiled. 

We watch the changing of the guards at Buckingham and walked around London for a while, just soaking in the architecture, the city, the people, the stores...  And I am happy.  And it didn't even rain while we were standing there for the duration... And the band played 'New York' in front of the queen! I also spoke to several French tourists, it is so fun!  They are Everywhere!  

We traveled to Milton keynes for our first concert. And what a first concert! The church was small enough that we could constantly see the expressions of the attentive audience. We sang better than we ever have and appreciated the favorites of the crowd that night, Jerusalem and Come Come ye Saints.

Day Three, Wednesday 
.  Cambridge.  For all the times I've been in Oxford, I don't ever remember being in Cambridge.  It is gorgeous.  For hours we crawled around the little cobble stoned alleyways quaint stores and in the pouring rain.  We slipped into British accents, because some how the awfulness of being wet all day is lessened when you are British.  

Each college is grander than the last and the architecture keeps on getting more and more intricate.  The chapels are sometimes open to the public, and we all spent some time in Kings College chapel before rehearsing with Dr Stephan Cleobury.

We found the oldest church in Cambridge, a tiny stone structure nestled in the most beautiful cemetery, and sang a quick I am a child of God there.  We slipped through the Trinity College as if we were students to see the Wren library.  The arches, books and paintings were quite enough for me to be overwhelmed but the other treasures of Newtons letters, AA Milne's original Pooh, and an 8th century vellum Epistles of Paul just took me over the edge.  

Yes, we were sopping by now, but I did want to see the bridge of sighs, so we took a back route behind the backs of the college, getting our shoes more muddy than ever but reveling in the green grasses contrasting with the brick and stone facades.  The river was especially beautiful, and each bridge had its own charm (especially this bridge of Sighs...  I was thinking of Jeremy of course).

The chapel we sang in was absolutely gorgeous, singing all of our Spanish renaissance pieces to the appreciative crowd, and somehow came out of the rain looking and sounding gorgeous. I'll have to upload pictures later on.