3rd July, 2016

I woke up knowing that I’d be going willingly to church for the first time in more than a quarter century. That morning, the Kentucky Ambassadors of Music choir would be performing at Wesley Chapel, the birthplace of Methodism. As a non-theist, I won’t pretend I understand the significance of Methodism historically or religiously, nor will I attempt to explain the difference between Methodists and other sects of Christianity. What I can say was that it was a pretty chapel, and that its architecture made the choir sound amazing.

Inside Wesley Chapel

KAM Choir

I didn’t film any of the service, mostly because it felt inappropriate to do so in someone else’s house of worship. Also, they said they record the services and post them to their website. As of this writing, they were a little behind on getting the videos of the church services posted. So, I’ll be keeping an eye on their video page. (Note that the audio page includes only the sermon, not the full service.)

If you ever happen to find yourself at Wesley Chapel, make sure to go across the street to Bunhill Fields, a really cool old cemetery. Many of the graves are so old you can’t make out the words on them.

Bunhill Fields

Pose! I expected him to ask for treats in an English accent.

After the service, we went back to Central London, to the Victoria Embankment, a lovely park along the north bank of the Thames. They have a summer concert series, and the Kentucky Ambassadors of Music chamber orchestra and bands were a part of it. A Londoner who sat next to us said that a bunch of old people show up every year to see who’s still alive. They all know the folks running the KAM show and love the chance to see them every other year.

I recorded the full orchestra concert on my handheld camera, so the volume isn’t great. It wasn’t very loud in any course, since London’s a noisy town and a helicopter even flew over at one point!

After the concert, Aedin came to hang out with us for dinner and exploring until her curfew. We planned a pit stop that the whole family could nerd out about: 221B Baker Street!

The Sherlock Holmes Museum

Unfortunately, we had to make detours due to construction on the Tube, so we didn’t get to Baker Street before the museum closed. Instead, we did a little shopping around Picadilly Circus. But next time, we’ll definitely go to the museum… and also to the Beatles store next door.