After touring Westminster Abbey and snapping some Parliament pictures, we walked north to Trafalgar Square, the largest non-park public space in London and the center of the city. It was good that we got there when we did, since in the afternoon it was set up for speeches and demonstrations (May Day is their Labor Day, with union marches and political demonstrations, etc.) and on Sunday it was set up for a concert. Since the sky cleared up between when we entered and exited Westminster Abbey, we were able to get some nice photos of the square. On the way, we passed the Horse Guards. Afterwards, we continued north to green, relaxing Leicester Square to the famous "tkts" booth to get half-price tickets to a show that night. We picked "Oliver!"
After lunch, it was time to head for St. Paul's Cathedral, the national church of England. There has been a church here since 604. The current church was built after the Great Fire of 1666 and is the fourth-largest church in Europe. During the Nazi Blitz, St. Paul's was bombed. Though the neighborhood around the church was decimated, St. Paul's survived (but parts were damaged).
To beat the crowds, we decided to climb the dome first. My right knee will never be the same after climbing 530 (mostly spiral) steps to the top of the dome! There are actually three levels to stop at...the Whispering Gallery, the Stone Gallery, and the Golden Gallery. The Whispering Gallery is really neat because you are able to look down on the floor of the cathedral, and its name comes from the fact that if you whisper something against the wall, the sound will travel around the dome and can be heard by others listening against the wall even though they are far away. We tried it and it works! We decided that higher-pitched voices carry the best; there were some little boys trying it out and we could hear them VERY clearly. The Stone Gallery is outside and gives views over London, while the Golden Gallery is at the very top of the cupola and gives you unobstructed views of the city while you walk around a very narrow walkway. Just before the Golden Gallery, there is a small circular window in the floor that enables you to look down 350 feet to the floor of the cathedral; now that was cool!
After descending, we toured the interior of the church, and eventually found ourselves standing directly behind the high altar, in the American Memorial Chapel. The altar area of St. Paul's, destroyed in the war, was rebuilt afterwards and the British people dedicated the space behind it to the 28,000 Americans based in Britain who gave their lives in WWII. The woodwork in this area is intricately carved with birds and plants native to America (along with a rocket ship shooting up to ths stars!) and the three stained glass windows include American iconography, including the American eagle and George Washington. We were looking at the middle window that sits directly behind the high altar, and directly to the left of Christ we immediately saw the symbol from the state flag of Indiana! I didn't realize until that point that the symbols of all 50 states are represented in the stained glass, so it was really interesting to run into a slice of home like that!
Greg preferred St. Paul's to Westminster Abbey; the engineer in him was really impressed by the construction of the dome. I was more fascinated by Westminster Abbey, probably because I've been to other domed churches in Italy but nothing with the same type of history as the Abbey. Both churches were truly impressive and awe-inspiring!
Leaving St. Paul's, we crossed the Millennium Bridge and spent some time walking and relaxing on the south bank of the Thames. Then we headed back towards the cathedral to attend the evensong service at St. Paul's. It was stirring to worship in this great and historic church while listening to the choir of men, women, and boys.
After dinner, we made our way to Covent Garden and to the theatre to see the musical "Oliver!" Greg was unfamiliar with the musical, but I love Dickens and have seen the movie version of the musical many times. You know how much I LOVE going to plays and musicals, so I was so excited that I could barely stay in my seat. I was not disappointed! The cast did a wonderful job and, as is usually the case when I'm at the theatre, I really didn't want it to end! It was fantastic seeing a classic musical set in London when we were actually in London; we both enjoyed it and it was a great end to a wonderful (though tiring) day!
A recap of our Sunday visit to the Tower of London and the British Museum will come in the next post as I wrap up our trip report.
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