Started out early this morning on the
Tube to Westminster Abbey, which doesn't open until 9:30 so being
early I thought I'd walk around and get a good look at Big Ben and
the Houses of Parliament and the London Eye. By the time I got back
to the Abbey, it was 10 and the line for cash and the line for credit
were wrapped around the building on both sides. I didn't want to
waste time waiting in line so I got back on the Tube and headed to
St. Paul's Cathedral, which was the second church on my to-do list.
It was only slightly cheaper than the admission fee to Westminster,
which is to say it was still overpriced. Lighting a votive candle
cost 30 pence. Whatever happened to the good old days when entrance
fees were donation-based? Anyways, the cathedral was gorgeous but
they requested that you not take any video or photographs inside so
unfortunately I can't share any visuals with you: beautifully
sculpted tombs, ornate murals with gold on the dome ceilings, marble
floors. All the previous cathedrals that I've visited as a tourist –
even if they're incredibly detailed – just don't match the sort of
historic wealth that goes into a building like this one.
The cathedral also had both its
galleries available to the public, which was nice. They were the
usual spiral staircases with low ceilings and you definitely cannot
be afraid of heights or of small spaces. I climbed up to the first
Whispering gallery at 257 steps up from the cathedral floor and my
legs were hurting already. If I wasn't in a church I would probably
have cussed my way up the first staircase. I almost thought about
not going up all the way. But I can't help it, if something can be
climbed all the way to the top, I will do it. So I made my way up to
the Stone Gallery, and then the Golden Gallery, for a total of 528
steps and 85 meters, which offered a nice skyline view of London. At
the end I went down to the crypt, which has a cafe, so I had a nice
little lunch with a cuppa tea down there next to all the tombs.
Then since it was lunchtime I decided
to head back to Westminster Abbey hoping that people were out eating
and not trying to visit. But it wound up being even more crowded
than the morning. So I decided to not wait in line that time either.
Before visiting London, actually going inside Westminster Abbey
wasn't a high priority on my list, but now that I've haven't been
able to get inside twice already if I don't make it inside now it's
going to drive me crazy.
After my failed attempt I hopped back
on the Underground to the Tower Gate stop. I am very glad that I
bought the 7-day Travelcard my first day here, because I was hopping
all over the lines today backtracking, but with my pass I have
unlimited travel in the main central area. I was afraid I'd get lost
in London, but there are so many subway stops that all I have to do
is find another one on any line and I can get back to where I'm
going. Pretty nifty.
By the time I got to the Tower Gate
stop, the sun came out and I couldn't waste this opportunity to take
pics of the Tower Bridge, so I sped across the Bridge across the
Thames to get a shot with the sun behind me shining on the Bridge.
If I had more time I'd just lie down on the grass with a cup of
coffee and just enjoy the day, but I'm on a tight schedule, so I made
my way back to the Tower of London. Side note: while I was crossing
Tower Bridge I looked down at my watch and saw that it was 2 p.m. and
I started grinning widely because that translates to 8 a.m. Monday
across the pond, which is when I'd be getting to work normally.
Maybe I'm finally getting into vacation mode?
I got there in time for the guided
tour. I had really wanted to do the Beefeater (yeoman warden) tour
of the Tower 'cause the guards have that quirky British sense of
humor (“humour”) enough to make learning fun(!) but after the
intro our group swelled to like 50 people and by the time we reached
the second stop I could barely make out what he was saying, so I
unfortunately ditched the group, got an audio guide (which actually
cost an extra 4 pounds!) and spent the next 3 hours climbing more
narrow, claustrophobic spiral staircases. It's surprising how
pleasant the place felt, even knowing it was used as a prison and an
execution site (not to mention an unintentionally cruel zoo). The
Crown Jewels are also located in the Tower, behind 2 security doors.
It was a long line and a lot of buildup for an eventual conveyor
belt/walkway that moves you past the 6 or so glass cases with royal
crowns, scepters, etc. The speed of the conveyor belt was so fast
that my audio guide kept on going long past after I had passed all
the displays already. I had spent so long in line I had to circle
around and get back on the conveyor belt for a second time. No
photos or videos were allowed either (can photos actually degrade
diamonds?) They were very ornate and filled with history (not to
mention obviously with diamonds) but I was a bit underwhelmed. I
think I was more in awe of this giant golden punch bowl at the end of
the exhibit with carved figurines, including a lion, angels, and a
unicorn(!)
Afterwards I bought some fish-and-chips
right next to the Tower, and the food was just average. It tasted
good at first but wound up being too greasy – I give it a 5 on
Diana's special fish-and-chips scale. Then I hung out alongside the
Thames with a good view of the Tower Bridge, washing down my
fish-and-chips with some Cornish dairy ice cream. There was a Thames
River fundraiser for this organization that cleans rivers around
London, and they had a clarinet/saxophone quartet playing jazz music.
I know, it's not really British to hear not only jazz but renditions
of songs like “Singin' in the Rain,” but I still enjoyed it. It
was a very relaxing way to cap off the day.
Now I'm sprawled out in my hotel room
and I've realized sitting in a cube for 10 hours (or 14 hours...) a
day has made me unbelievably out of shape. I was huffing and puffing
my way up the stairs at St. Paul's. Combined with all the stairs on
the Tube and the many more flights of staircases at the Tower of
London, my legs and feet are incredibly sore today. All the time
that my body is used to not being in motion is now taken up by
walking, so I'm exhausted and was falling asleep on the ride back to
my hotel. It feels like a waste to not take advantage of all this
daylight, but after 12 hours, by 8 p.m. I was already beat and the
sun was still high in the sky.
Tomorrow I hope the weather continues
to be good... because I bought some nonrefundable tickets on the
London Eye and a Thames river cruise. If I can drag myself out of
bed maybe I can make it to Hyde Park and at least one of the palaces
by there in the morning.
