Two Churches and a Bus

I woke up to a rainy day this morning, so I decided to use the tour bus ticket I received from Sandy yesterday. It was definitely a good decision-- the live tour guide was pretty funny and although there was traffic it let me take lots of pictures from the bus. It took about three hours to get around the whole route hitting both sides of the Thames and crossing between London Town (the City of Westminster) and the City (City of London). In practice they're the same thing, but the City is where most of old London is (I think...). Anyway, I managed to get my bearings pretty well, snap lots of photos, and stay dry-- an excellent day.

I disembarked from the bus to swing by St. Paul's Cathedral-- gorgeous paintings, mosaics, and sculptures from the crypt to the dome. I climbed all the way up Golden Dome, an outdoor walkway with phenomenal views of the city. It was breathtaking in every sense of the word-- incredibly beautiful, but I was also terrified of dropping my camera or other objects (or self) off the walkway, and exhausted from the climb with was more than 300 stairs high. After hiking down, my legs were literally shaking so I stopped for a coffee break (ok, hot chocolate and carrot cake) before my next task, walking to Westminster Abbey.

While most museums in London are free, sights like St. Paul's and Westminster Abbey are not. My student wallet only held enough cash for one entry ticket so I devised the devious plan of attending Evensong at Westminster-- a choral performance, reading of scripture, and time of prayer that is free and open to the public. Tonight the choir was from a school, and the combination of the children singing and the magnificence of the Abbey literally gave me chills, it was completely indescribable. I also saw where Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin are buried; I was actually standing on Newton when I noticed the epitaph. Oops!

After the short service I headed back to the hostel early-- four finals and research due after the break means I really have to get cracking. But after the stairs at St. Paul's, the walking, and the rain, I don't know how much I'll get through before I fall asleep on this couch!

Here are some pictures; not all are from today, but this is the first day I've gotten them off my camera. Cheers!


Springtime at Parliament! There's a lovely park right by the Sovereign's entrance-- though not too close, of course


In case you're craving a taste of home, or maybe just some cholesterol


Westminster Abbey-- no photos allowed inside, unfortunately.



The infamous Tower of London


Big Ben striking six o'clock


The view of Parliament from Westminster Bridge over the River Thames