Food for Body and Soul in London

 | A morning visit to the Borough Market. |

England 2015 Travel Journal Entry
Saturday, March 21

We had the perfect amount of time for the Borough Market. We got to eat there – I even found the Scotch egg with sweet potato fries that had looked so delicious on Pinterest! And before I'd even tried to look for it! We found dessert at a Turkish food stall and very much enjoyed the pistachio baklava while we wondered about.

We discovered scenes filled with vibrant colors and a kaleidoscope of foods: cheeses, olives, meat, pies, ice cream, fruit, pastries, mushrooms – plus lots of people. It's like a little food village with a sky held up by cheerful green poles and a breeze wafting varying scents of delicious food everywhere.

Inside the Borough Market

That was a fun morning! Definitely an London cultural experience not to be missed.

We grabbed a coffee at Pret so we could thaw out as we rode the Tube from London Bridge station to Westminster and it's Abbey for evensong. Even at twenty minutes early there was a line outside for the service. We stood inside for 10 minutes or so and could hear the choir rehearsing. The music just made my mind and senses soar, lifting my eyes to the vast, vaulted ceilings of the Abbey and beyond, right up into Heaven. It was truly beautiful music. It had God, the Creator, as its inspiration, and it reminded me that He is the Creator of beauty itself.

The western door of Westminster Abbey

Then at half past three we filed into the seats just above the choir stalls. It was quite an unusual experience, that service. There was a lot of Scripture in the songs and the readings, which was uplifting. Yet there also seemed a lot of choreography in it, with the clergyman reading written prayers and singing traditional responses. It was unlike anything I've ever experienced. I could hardly help wondering what all the other visitors were thinking. Were they just bored? Or even offended? Or did the Scripture and the truth of it become clear to anyone? I was praying that the latter was true for one person, at least.

Hearing the service and being in the Abbey got me contemplating about why it was built. Wasn't it partly motivated by doing good works to try to earn God's favor? Along with making a statement of power? That being so, how much does it truly glorify God? I suppose that as long as there were people who worship God based on the truth of Scripture and have trusted in Christ, it is being repurposed to do so.

Our next stop was Sloane Street Station and the National Army Museum – which was closed until 2016. We ended up spending the better part of the next hour looking for a powder room, which in Chelsea are apparently as rare as a trash can on the streets of Whitehall. At least we saw some lovely scenery at the Royal Hospital for Pensioners and its park along the river. We at last found a pub and got some tea while we rested for a bit.

Then instead of trekking to Oxford Street we stayed around Sloane Street Station. Some stores were surprisingly reasonable, considering they were so close to Sloane Street itself, and Marks & Spencer had some teal leather gloves for £7 at 60% off. :) And they were just what I was looking for! We spent the rest of our night eating our pizza, watching Foyle and renting our car online.

And now bed sounds like luxury...




© 2015 Anna Morton