Last night we (Gideon, Gabe, Ryan, Donald, Tanya, Jen, Amanda, Katie, and myself) all went down to the King and Queen as well as The Court. We talked with the barmaid Claire, who has promised to take us to a roller disco in two weeks. Apparently Ryan (Sunshine) made one of the locals mad when he asked if he could sit down at his table and talk to him. The guy responded with a prompt "No, I'll sit at the bar" then got up and walked away. I think it's kind of obvious as to why to the Brits and the Europeans we come across as obnoxious--these people in the big city aren't outgoing at all. The only time the people here smile at you or act polite is when you're buying something from them. Other than that, most people are in their own world just trying to go from one place to another. But then again, I think it's just the city life.
After we got done at The Court, with several people stealing their beer glasses (it has become a habit for some), we made our way back to the dorms. Once upstairs, Donald started stomping on the floor outside of another student's room and slamming his door. It was in reference to some joking he and I were doing earlier because this guy slams his door every time he enters and exits his room.
I woke up this morning and after taking a shower I cleaned up my room a bit. The cleaning lady was coming by to give us another towel and freshen the linens and clean up the rooms. I then made my way to breakfast and then went to the streets to start touring. I started my day off my going to see the Tower of London. While there were some elements of the Tower which were fun to see, I was slightly let down. Although I spent a good two-and-half hours there, it seemed less impressive than most made it seem. Granted, one area was down for construction. I guess after seeing Windsor Castle I had really high expectations. Of course, the Crown Jewels are kept at the Tower of London and it's pretty impressive to see those. The Yeoman Warders did do a nice little speaking tour that I walked in on as they finished off at the chapel.
After the Tower I went over to the Tower Bridge Exhibition and took a look around at one of the world's most famous bridges. The sights were beautiful from a top the bridge and the bridge itself is really a marvel. We got to watch a few videos explaining how the bridge was made and it really makes you appreciate the craftsmanship that went into constructing such a thing. We even went down into the steam rooms and got to see the original hydrolics machinery that caused the bridge to raise and lower.
I finished at the Tower Bridge exhibition with plenty of extra time, so I made my way to Monument, a little attraction I only found out about yesterday by looking through my London Pass book. Monument is just that: a monument constructed to remember the Fire of 1666 that swept through and destroyed most of London. The Monument is a column tower 202 feet high with a spiral staircase in the middle which you walk up 311 stairs to the top. Once you come down you get a certificate proving what you accomplished. I told the ladies at the bottom they needed to be handing out bottles of water because I was exhausted when I came down. The view from the top of Monument is pretty spectacular. You get a great view of downtown London and it's definitely something to check out. Of course, if you don't like tight spaces, heights, or lots and lots of stairs, then it's just best to avoid it. I did get to talk to an architect and a contractor who are about to start a full renovation of Monument. I mentioned that I worked for an architect firm back in America and she was more than happy to answer some questions I had. The renovation starts at the beginning of July and will last 18 months. It'll take them 14 weeks just to get the scaffolding up. Monument itself took 6 years to complete.
After Monument I stopped in a nearby pub called The Monument and had a dish called Coronation Chicken. It was a piece of wheat bread topped with greens, cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, and then a chicken mixture that kind of reminded me of chicken salad. It was pretty tasty and very reasonably priced. Once lunch was over with I made my way to, what I feel at least, is the most spectacular site I've seen so far: St. Paul's Cathedral. It's a real shame you can't take photos inside of St. Paul, although I did manage to get a snapshot off before I saw the sign there.
There are only two words I can use to describe St. Paul's: awe-inspiring and humbling. When you walk inside of this massive building, with vaulted ceilings reaching at least eighty feet high and wooden entrance doors that are at least thirty feet high, you feel very tiny indeed. The ornate stonework, paintings, mosaics--all of it gives you a feeling of splendor that is quite a lot to take in. To walk around underneath the dome in St. Paul's and see the beautiful works painted on the ceiling and the various marble statues and golden decor, you feel so humbled and frankly it as a feeling I've never felt before. I thought of the church itself as allegorical of the Christian church as a whole; this massive, beautiful thing to which we all contribute but is held together by God. Inside there were statues to various statesmen, war heroes, and other events such as those who died in World War II. Then, you can make your way up stairs to the Dome and the Galleries.
First off, the Dome area you get to walk to is about a hundred feet up in the air--at least. The staircase is, much like Monument, cramped and spiral most of the way. Once you do reach the Dome though, you can look down on the fabulous area below and gain an even greater appreciation for the cathedral. Or, you can look up another one hundred feet (at least) to the upper galleries. Also atop the Dome is known as the Whispering Gallery. They call it this because there are little holes in the wall you can whisper into and the sound can be heard at other holes across the gallery. Basically, its like a walk-talkie in the stone work. The Dome is also surrounded by enormous marble statues of various saints.
Once I had rested atop the dome, I climbed another enormous set of steps up to the Stone Gallery. Again, you make your way up a cramped staircase and now you get to look out onto the beautiful site of downtown London. The Stone Gallery was pleasant and room, quite unlike the Golden Gallery, which is where I went to next. I yet again ascended a set of stairs and made my way to the Golden Gallery, which is the highest point accessible by the public at St. Paul's. It was a bit unnerving for me, because the walkway was only a few feet wide and quite frankly: you are way up in the air. If my math is correct, there are over 430 stairs up to the Golden Gallery. You can look out and see pretty much all of London. The view is spectacular, but I'll admit I was quite nervous.
I soon made my way back down to the Cathedral floor and then went into the crypts. The crypts were no less inspiring than the floor itself. Ornate and beautiful, the crypts held the bodies of some of the most famous figures in English history, such as Admiral Lord Nelson (who defeated Napoleon at the Battle of Trafalgar and prevented Napoleon from invading Britain) as well as Arthur Wellesley, First Duke of Wellington (who defeated Napoleon at Waterloo). Of course, the crypts were also home to the ashes of Alexander Fleming (who discovered penicillin) as well as other important figures in British history.
As I exited from the crypts I made my way back to the dorms, where I hung out for a bit and took a nap (touring all day can be tiring). After the nap I made my way to City Road to try and find the statue and house of John Wesley. Either it's not there or I went in the wrong direction, because I didn't see it at all. What I did see was a nice, shady part of London that I hopefully won't stumble into again. There was a guy who, I am pretty sure, was peeing on the front of a building. The train ride back from Moorsgate went through a few stops on the Tube that I immediately realized I should probably avoid. But, I did make it back safely.
We've basically just been hanging around the dorms since then. I'm trying to take it easy because I'm going to start touring again early tomorrow morning with a stop at Royal Albert Hall. A guy from Cambridge staying here said that it is worthwhile to check out Kew Gardens, so if I have some time, I may look into that. I've been doing laundry tonight and there was a bit of a snafu of some sort going on here on our floor. I think it may have to do with some women bringing up a British fellow. Anyhow, it is time for me to collect my laundry and get to bed, as I can hear the guy down the hall slamming his door repeatedly, letting me know that it must be late at night.
A link to today's pictures can be found here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/8494714@N03/?saved=1
