OK, for the record, I’m all fed. I went out because I wanted to confirm something for tomorrow anyway. OK, on with the experience.
I woke up early yet again. I got the great breakfast buffet downstairs with a garden view. I then got on the tube and headed in the direction of Westminster. I was going to arrive before Westminster Abbey was to open, but I knew there was plenty to see in the area. I left the tube through one of the 6 (!) exits from the station. The maps inside convinced me to take the exit closest to Big Ben/Parliament. I crossed whichever bridge that is and there were many good pictures to be had. I was in the right place to hear it strike 10 and 11 as well a few interims from 9:15-11. Got pics of the London Eye as well.
I can’t believe how many statues there are! I got to Parliament Square and walked up the street toward Trafalgar Square. The statues are even in the middle of this road. I was a little surprised to spot the entrance to Downing street since I wasn’t looking for it. I took a picture of the well guarded entrance. Probably can’t tell what it is though. I learned to appreciate the signs on the street telling me to look left and look right. It’s all backwards and confusing. More pictures all around the square, including having someone take my picture in front of the fountain. I also picked up some souvenirs while I was at it. I walked back toward Parliament square via Horse Guards Way which is the East end of St. James Park. This also means that I circumnavigated the treasury building. Which if I’m to believe what others are telling me, was the the location we see for the Watcher’s Council exterior when something interesting happened in season 7 ep 9. (bitterkat, have you gotten that far yet?)
Then, back at Parliament square, I went around to Westminster Abbey. I went in for the tour. It’s a very organized tour. You must follow in a particular order. I was surprised at all of the people buried there. Particularly the artistic types in poets corner. Laurence Olivier? Very startling to see after all the royalty and people from the 1600′s and such. Hey, here’s a list some of the people, so I don’t have to remember them all. Most notable of the artist plots I saw are Geoffrey Chaucer, Robert Browning, Charles Dickens, Alfred Lord Tennyson, Lewis Carrol. There’s also a Shakespeare memorial, but he’s not buried there. I actually didn’t see the scientists. I would have liked to see Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin’s plots. Although that latter one amuses me just a bit. Kind of frustrating to not be allowed to take pictures. I was sitting there knowing I’d forget things far too quickly. And I have.
When I finished in the Abbey, I had to rush to Buckingham Palace. It was to be my only opportunity to witness the changing of the guard. I knew it was a big attraction, but in my wildest dreams I didn’t expect it to be quite *that* many people. There were thousands, it was packed. You couldn’t even go to the center part because it was wall to wall people. I could hardly see anything most of the time. There were two band processions in and two out. And during the middle, they played a Beatles medley. It seemed rather odd. They started with Hard Day’s Night. That seemed kind of amusingly appropriate. I can’t remember the middle song, but they ended with Hey Jude. It was kind of funny to watch the recognition on people who didn’t speak English. I was near a group of Japanese twentysomethings. After a few notes they excitedly said something that was clearly how they would pronounce/refer to the song. Many people were singing along, and you could tell many of them didn’t know the words natively. It was actually rather touching. There was applause after Hey Jude. Eventually it was all done, but I felt it went on far too long since I could barely see anything.
I decided I’d had all of Buckingham Palace that I could take. I decided not to do any of the tours. I headed for the Victoria tube station. Along the way though, I stopped for some fish and chips at a tiny little restaurant. They were quite good. And they advertised that they also take Euros and US Dollars. Considering I’m wandering around with *four* different types of currency right now, that’s pretty handy. (FYI, US dollars, Euros, Pounds, Swiss francs.) I bought the F&C with pounds and a coke with euros. It was very good.
I took the Victoria line to the central line to St. Paul’s station. I poked my head into the cathedral and debated on whether it would be worth the admission charge, on top of all the other admissions I had payed/was planning on paying. I wasn’t sure if I’d really get to see more than I’d already seen from entrance. Especially since I knew I was on a bit of a time constraint with the Tower of London still on my plan for the day. I decided to go for it. I’m glad I did. Not only was it beautiful, and it really was, I also got a ridiculously intense workout. You can climb up the dome. (click dome if the link doesn’t take you there) I was shocked when the spiraling wooden stairs kept going and going and going. I thought the whispering gallery was the end. I wanted to walk the complete circle around the dome. Half way around, I discovered you do get to keep going. Another ridiculously long climb, on metal and stone this time, and I was at an outdoor viewing area. This is also the first time you can use your cameras on this tour. At this point, I understood what the signs meant and knew there was another upwards entrance somewhere. I eventually found it and managed to make it all the way to the golden gallery. It was again outside and near the top of the cathedral dome. According to the site, a 280 foot climb and 532 steps. Everyone I was near laughed at the “no smoking” signs posted in the stairway side benches. Yeah, like you’d have enough breath! It was a beautiful view. And the sprinkles were quite welcome. I desperately wanted water at this point. I hurried back down. Went down to the crypt quickly didn’t spend much time anywhere there, except at the cafe to buy some liquid refreshment. It was 3:00 already, and I knew the tower closes at 6.
I took the central line to the district for tower hill station. I was in line to buy my almost 15 pound ticket when a woman came by and asked if I was waiting to go to the tower. I said I was in line to buy my ticket, yes. She then handed me a voucher for a free admission. She had an extra given to her that she didn’t need and it expired the next day. I thanked her and didn’t almost believe it. I got out of line and went to the group ticket stand like the voucher said and was given my free ticket. The last Yeoman tour started about 10 minutes after my arrival. He was quite amusing. About 30 minutes in, however, a rain storm broke out and he cut the tour short by taking us to the chapel where he told us more stories. Then I wandered about on my own. Saw the ravens, went into several towers, saw stuff. Overall really cool. My castle love had me drooling. I really wanted to buy a bottle of mead at the gift shop in the white tower. It was so hard not to. I really don’t have room for it, and I don’t know if there are laws against bringing it back either. I did buy a couple packets of spiced mead mix though. That made me feel a little better.
Then I came back to the hotel and pealed off my shoes. What an exhausting full day! I meant for this one to be a little bit of everything. Paris will likely be similar. The other two days should hopefully be a little slower.
