Scotland and London 2023

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Today we met for breakfast downstairs. Everyday our hotel has a full English breakfast or cereal, pastries, juice and milk.....of course coffee and tea is always available. Once breakfast was over Corey, Jennifer, and I went for a walk. Our Hotel is very near St. Mary's Hospital. Joe Griffith and family were here over Christmas break and he suggested we go see the plaque commemorating where Alexander Fleming invented penicillin. Corey was walking on the outside and his foot turned over and he fell on both knees. I actually did the same thing in 2019 but a bus was coming and I thought i was going to get run over! Fortunately neither of us was hurt too bad. Corey discovered later his knees were scraped pretty good.

We saw the plaque and thought about all the people that were helped by penicillin. Then Jennifer said, "It never heled me......I was allergic to it!" Well it did help many, but I know there are many who can't take it also! Isnt that the way with so many things. What is great for some is hurtful to others.

As we walked on, we stopped at a few shops, then headed back to Paddington station. When Jennifer and Corey came up out of Paddington, they came to the outside and across the street. That means they never saw the main part of the station. Its a big place with lots of stores, trains, and the tube (underground). I just wanted them to see what they missed. We headed back to the Balmoral House because we had tickets to The Messiah at Royal Albert Hall.

I had never been to Royal Albert Hall and except for the pictures I'd seen, I really didn't know much about it except it was a performing venue. Queen Victoria opened the Royal Albert Hall in 1871 as a tribute to her late husband, Prince Albert, and to fulfill his dream of promoting understanding and appreciation of the Arts and Sciences in the heart of South Kensington. He never got to see its completion.

We went early so we could look around and hopefully get to our seats early. I decided to get box seats. I figured this was a big deal....to see a performance of The Messiah at one of the premiere venues in London and I should do something special. Later I received emails that we could order food which would be delivered to our box, so I did that too. We could get in our box at 1:30 for the 2:30 performance. It was small like a closet but adequate and cozy. Our food had been set up on a table and a card with my name on it was included. The one thing each of us noticed was the bucket of ice for our drinks. That's what most Americans miss the most is ice, so we were all very happy! Our food was delicious and there was certainly plenty! There were signs that ask you not to eat during the performance, but there was an intermission where you could finish your food.

We were overwhelmed by the size of royal Albert Hall! It was amazing! The pipe organ was enormous! Pictures just don't do it justice! The performance was just as overwhelming! While i'm sure there were mics, you didn't see them and it was as if you were in a small, cozy venue where mics weren't necessary. There were moments where you could feel the rumble of the very low notes on the pipe organ. The performance ran for 2 1/2 hours. There was an intermission also. I cannot express how it felt when everyone in the hall rose to their feet on the first not of the Hallelujah Chorus! The fact that this was Hoy Week gave this extra special meaning for me!

Once the performance was over we hailed a cab to go back to the Balmoral House to prepare for dinner. We were hooking up with Jennifer's friend, Ace and we wanted to go to a pub. We particularly wanted certain items on the menu..... Scottish eggs, fish N Chips, and just enough variety to satisfy 5 different people. We also needed a place that would take a reservation before 8 pm. We found The Devonshire Arms which was not too far from Royal Albert Hall. The food was outstanding. We did a little walking, hailed a cab, and headed to our rooms. Tomorrow was the first day of the Star wars Conference for Ace and Corey, so they were anxious to get to bed and get ready for their big day.

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