Do you recognize this landmark? Of course it's Big Ben, which sits at one end of the Parliament complex. Actually, the clock is NOT named Big Ben, but the chimes in the clock tower are, hence the confusion! Can you see the London Eye in the background? That is actually on the opposite side of the Thames. Note the blue sky!! It's a "postcard day" in London today!! No time to waste!
First stop, Westminster Abbey. This massive medieval cathedral was begun in 1055, making parts of it 957 years old! There are many kings and queens buried here, including Mary Queen of Scots and her cousin, Elizabeth I, who also ordered Mary's imprisonment in England and, eventually, her execution by beheading. You might also remember Mary Queen of Scots from our trip to Edinburgh. There are also monuments to literary giants, including Shakespeare and Dickens, and musicians like Handel.
Westminster Abbey has also been the site of coronations and weddings of England's monarchs. One year ago yesterday, April 29, 2011, it was the site of the royal wedding of Prince William to Kate Middleton.
There was quite a queue to enter, but we waited patiently and spent a good couple of hours touring the insides. Unfortunately, no photography allowed, except in the cloisters.
I have often read about the flying buttresses on the exterior of the Abbey. Their purpose is to help transfer the weight of the nave. The nave is only 35 feet wide, but it is 105 feet high, making it the highest in England. That's a lot of weight! Anyway, the flying buttresses are actually quite massive on their own.
After we finished the Abbey we meandered past Parliament and hopped a double decker red bus for a general tour of London. We were able to see quite a few parks, a lot of monuments, some famous residences and neighbourhoods, and traffic, traffic, traffic. London is the host city for the Olympics this summer, and I cringe to think what the traffic will be like then. There is an official countdown to the Olympics in Trafalgar Square, and Scott was able to take a photo as we passed by. At of the snapping of the photo there were 88 days, 3 hours, 38 minutes and 49 seconds to go!
Our hotel is about a 15 minute walk from Parliament, so we headed back. Are you noticing the beautiful blue skies in the pictures today? Heavy rain and wind is moving in tonight. It is England, after all. For every day of bright sunshine there seem to be many days of clouds and at least the threat of rain. We are determined not to let the weather dampen our adventure, however. Tomorrow we are booked into a tour that begins at 8:00 a.m. We are taking a private tour of the Tower of London, a boat ride on the Thames, and a tour of St. Paul's Cathedral. We are supposed to see the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace, but it's doubtful that the weather will be cooperative tomorrow. Our tour ends at Harrod's. Can you hear Scott groaning all the way across the pond?!
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