Benedict Cumberbatch

I didn't even try to find a quote for today's blog title. Simply his name is enough.

I had a really nice day despite London's obvious wish that I remain miserable. It rained for the majority of the day and it eventually drove us inside. But I promise that we made a valiant effort to enjoy the city.

We met at St. Paul's Cathedral at 10 this morning. While Westminster is still my favorite church in England that I've seen, St. Paul's is simply on its own level when it comes to grandeur. While the exterior is impossible not to appreciate, it's the golden gilded ceilings and the beautiful artwork inside that gives St. Paul's its unparalleled brilliance. We climbed to the top. It was the first form of exercise other than 5 minute ab work outs in the flat and the hours of walking we've probably done since being here. Needless to say, we were out of breath. We made it but 528 steps is a lot to climb especially considering how narrow the staircases are. I had to incline my head at certain points. I had to incline my head. And I'm not known for being particularly large. Once we made it up, I realized why people continue to do this madness. The view was simply breathtaking.

Do these stairs look familiar? They should. They were featured in both Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (the stairs leading to Trelawny's classroom) and Sherlock Holmes (the opening scene with the failed exorcism). No big deal.

It was very windy at the top. There's the city of London behind me :)

Outside the cathedral in the wind and rain

And then Ivy and I decided to have a bit of a Harry Potter adventure (after we stopped off at Borough for some lunch of course. Today's deliciousness included a baked potato and the most sinful doughnut of all time). We headed over to Leadenhall Market where they filmed some of the Diagon Alley footage for the Harry Potter movies. In fact, I stood in front of the Leaky Cauldron entrance!

I've seen pictures. It's much brighter and cheerier in good weather.

I can definitely see Diagon Alley here.

Look familiar?? Unfortunately it's an optician office now. A bit disillusioning I'll admit. 

And then I took a nap and did laundry. It was simply miserable being outside.

Then we went to see the new Star Trek movie and I emerged a new woman. Benedict Cumberbatch (who is the brilliant Sherlock in the BBC show Sherlock) was Khan. He was absolutely brilliant and made me love him even more. The movie was wonderful and has convinced me to see more Star Trek.

That is all. Here is a hilarious close up of a girl from our group accidentally photo bombing Ivy's picture.