Alright, today we get fully caught up with what we've been up to! Unfortunately two of the locations we were unable to take pictures in as they are active churches. I will need to Google some pictures (likely better than I could take anyway) so you can get an idea of what we experienced.

We had an opportunity to see the outside of Westminster Abbey two years ago when we were in London for our honeymoon, however we were too late to be able to actually go inside. This time we made it the only thing we were seeing that day to ensure we wouldn't miss out again.

Thankfully this was another location where they provided audioguides, so we had an opportunity to sit back and let it show us around.  

Right off the bat we stumbled across Stephen Hawking's gravestone. We had only learned of him being memorialized just recently, so it was another happy coincidence (at least as much as one can be happy given the circumstances). It's located right next to Darwin and Newton's gravestones. Usually, you look at these old gravestones and it's more of an abstract thought. You know that each was a real person, but you are so far disconnected from people in the 1600's that it doesn't seem so real. Here we had a person that we could actually visualize, if not from a meeting in person, then at least from tv. It was a bit surreal standing over the stone, especially given the company surrounding it.

I realize I skipped a bit as I was a bit excited to have found the new gravestone. The actual building inside is amazing! I freakin' love Gothic architecture (boroque as well, but that's another day). Huge pillars leading up to a complex ceiling that looks like everything is weaved together. The effect is beautiful to look at and truly awe inspiring to experience.

Westminster Abbey is different because it feels more like it's split into sections. Each one has a slightly different look to it, so you almost feel as though you are going through different buildings (which from a historical perspective is partly true).

My favorite part had to be the Lady Chapel.  Looking up is a very intricately carved ceiling with large spires that hang down. It's unbelievable to look at, and I found myself standing still just staring at it in awe for a bit.

The very next day we headed over to one of our favorite spots, St. Paul's cathedral.

Just like Westminster Abbey, we were unable to take pictures of the inside so I will try to include some from the web.

This was the first cathedral we had gone to on our honeymoon and boy did we pick a good one to begin with. You walk inside and are immediately struck by the large open spaces. 

Huge columns growing up into the air with grand arches spanning off into the distance. The huge dome in the center is absolutely stunning, and you can spend a long time just sitting in a chair looking up at the artwork (which we did). The back of cathedral is decorated much more how Wren (the architect) intended with colorful glittering mosaics on the ceiling and walls.  

After admiring what we wanted to see on the ground floor it was time to begin our climb to the top of St. Paul's. The first set of spiral stairs brings you up to the whispering gallery. The stairs are really wide so you can take your time going up because people have enough room to pass you if need be. This is the easiest bit of the journey and brings you right to the base of the cathedral's dome. As you exit the staircase you go down a skinny hallway and through a small door and find yourself on a lip that runs all around the wall of the dome. Sure there's a metal fence in between you and certain death, but with a 257 step fall before you it does little to ease the anxiety of those of us who are vertically challenged. (I have no idea the height in feet)

The whispering gallery is named as such because two people standing on opposite sides of the dome are able to whisper into the wall and hear one another. We've never tried this as it's far more entertaining to intercept someone else's whisper and instead reply with your own hilariously confusing message, only to be able to witness the confusion spread on someone's face across the dome. There's also a bench that wraps all around the wall, so you get a chance to sit and get a close look at the paintings that you saw from the ground that are on the inside of the dome.

The next climb brings the stair total up to 376 as you find yourself on the outside of the building on the stone gallery. The stairway up is stone and quite a bit smaller than the previous wood one that brought you to the whispering gallery. However there are little landings with benches every floor so people are still able to pass you at this point if need be. The stone gallery gives you okay views of the city from above, however they are largely obstructed by the stone railing that goes around the ledge. This is mainly just an opportunity to take a quick breather before continuing on your journey.

The last series of stairs will bring your stair total up to 528. This consists of multiple cramped iron spiral staircases where you don't really have a lot of opportunity to take a break if you need it. This culminates at a single stretch of hallway that is tight enough that I am unable to get through without turning sideways slightly and dipping my head. The claustrophobic among us may not like that bit, however it is just a short hallway that leads you to your final stop at the very top: the golden gallery.

Here you have unobstructed views of the city in all directions. It's definitely worth the trouble of climbing all of those stairs, especially as it's included in your entry ticket. It is a bit of a narrow path around the top, but if you were able to make it though claustrophobic hallway you should be fine.  

The only thing left is to make your way down a dizzying amount of spiral staircase without tumbling headfirst.

This post is definitely running long but all we have left is to quickly chat about the Tower of London. We had been there before, which made this visit more enjoyable because we could walk through the stuff we had seen and spend more time checking out all of the nooks and crannies we didn't get to visit the last time. My only regret is that we didn't get a chance to do a yeoman tour as we are now in the summer season and everything was super busy. That aside we saw everything else we were excited about (Amanda loves the crown jewels though she begins to give me disappointed eyes when comparing it versus her wedding ring...).

I finish this post on the bus that is taking us to Paris. Why a bus and not a plane or train you might be asking... And... I don't really have a good answer to that... so... let's... just... not talk about that further...