We agreed to meet up at the Westminster tube station. I was a bit early, so I snapped a few pictures as I waited.
Westminster Bridge
The London Eye and the London Aquarium
After about ten minutes, I was joined by Matt and Ryan, and Erika joined us shortly after.
Our first stop was Westminster Abbey.
See me?
Westminster Abbey is located right across the street from Parliament (which is also known as The Palace of Westminster).
It is famous for being the host of many royal weddings, Kate and Prince William being the most recent.
Coronations almost always happen in the Abbey, and many members of the royal family are buried there, along with other notable British citizens.
We couldn't take pictures inside, but we were treated to an audio guide featuring the voice of Jeremy Irons. I almost died of happiness and excitement, no joke. (for those who don't know, Jeremy Irons is the voice of Scar in the Lion King, and he is also in one of my new favorite shows, The Borgias).
We saw the graves of Queen Elizabeth and her cousin Mary (Queen of Scots). We also saw "Poets Corner" which is the burial ground/memorial center of literary greats like Chaucer, Dickens, and Austen. We viewed the "Tomb of the Unknown Warrior" which is a soldier from World War One. It is the only grave that visitors cannot walk on, and it is adorned with red poppies and candles. I learned he was buried there on November 11, 1920, 67 years (to the day) before I was born!
We walked through the cloisters once again before meeting outside the cathedral.
Ryan and I really wanted to climb the steps to the top of the dome at St. Paul's Cathedral, so that is where we headed next.
After exploring the base of the cathedral a bit, we headed for the first section of stairs. The fist section of stairs contains about 259 steps. At the end of that, you reach the "Whispering Gallery". Towards the end of that climb, I began to panic a little because it seemed like the spiral steps were never-ending. They should put a sign in to at least tell you when the halfway point is. The Whispering Gallery was really cool. The dome is shaped in such a way, that you can hear people speak from the other side of the room, and it sounds like they are right next to you! When I first noticed this, it totally freaked me out. I heard this lady saying something like "Hello? Hello? Can you hear me?" I thought she was sitting next to Ryan (who was next to me) but when I turned to look, there was no one there!
After playing around and resting up, we headed up the next section of stairs. These stairs were a lot taller than the previous set, and were much more closed in and spiral-y. It takes 119 more steps to get to the "Stone Gallery" Once we reached it, we were treated to some neat views of the city.
We then headed up the final set of stairs, 152 steps. These steps were a series of metal spiral staircases. Once we reached the top, we had spectacular views, including one of the cathedral floor directly below us, which stopped my heart a little as I peered down.
We took some pictures
then I called Matt and told him where to stand so we could see him. Can you figure out which dot he is?
Here, I'll help a little, with the power of my camera's zoom!
He took this picture of us, using his amazing zoom
If you scroll back up to my picture of St. Paul's, we are in that little goldish area right above the giant dome. Crazy, right?
We then had to climb back down the 528 steps to get to the floor of the cathedral. I think my legs are still mad at me for that adventure.
We explored a bit of the crypt, then wandered outside to meet up with Matt and Erika.
We got some tasty lunch at this chain sandwich place called "Earl of Sandwich". It was delicious and I hope to go back soon.
We wandered the city a bit more and I took the gang to the Guildhall so they could see the ancient Roman Amphitheater I saw on my 3rd day here.
Afterwards, we parted ways with the boys and Erika and I hit up Oxford Street to do some shopping. We went to Primark and H&M, but the best part of the evening was finding the Disney Store!
Fancy meeting you here Mickey!
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