Day 9: London

 July 19

Another full day and a GREAT day.  When we walked out of the hotel this morning just a little after 8 am it was raining and we thought that MAYBE we would have some of the "dreary London weather."  But it stopped nearly right away and only sprinkled briefly once during the first half of the day.  It was overcast and cool throughout the morning and sunny and warm all afternoon - highs in the low to mid-70's, just delightful.  Our morning tour saw us tour some more of the city but we focused on a stop at Buckingham Palace and then spent quite a bit of time at St. Paul's Cathedral.  At Buckingham Palace we got a great view and our guide Sean - who by the way was one of THE BEST guides we've had on any excursion of any trip - offered to take our picture.  We went inside St. Paul's Cathedral - on the front steps of which was the famous "Feed the Birds" scene from the Walt Disney original "Mary Poppins" film - and spent a great deal of time learning some of the history of the building.  Interesting to know that it was the third cathedral built on this site, this one finished after the Great Fire in London.  Construction started in 1675 and opened in 1711.  But before the three cathedrals it was the site of a Roman temple dedicated to the goddess Diana, which in part was why this was where Prince Charles and Princess Diana were married.  The underside of the dome was so cool to look at - so very high up - and in the American chapel, right behind the alter there is a "Roll of Honor" where the names of more than 280,000 Americans who were stationed in Great Britain during World War II and died in the war have their names written.  Each morning a staff member opens the case and turns the page to honor the names on those two pages.  It takes 14 months to go from the beginning to the end of the book and then they start the process over again.  Really cool.  Then we headed down into the crypts below the cathedral where many famous Brits are buried.

Buckingham Palace

Palace guard

Our guide, Sean

Westminster Abbey

St. Paul's Cathedral

The opening lyrics..... "Early each day, to the steps of St. Paul the little old bird woman comes...."

St. Paul's Cathedral - the dome

Looking down the knave of the cathedral to the alter where Princess Diana was married

The dome from the inside, looking up

The stunning murals on the ceiling

In the American chapel, the Roll of Honor

Into the crypts (right) / Lord Nelson's tomb

We got back to our hotel around noon and had a little over an hour before we were scheduled to leave for our next outing.  We left the hotel, headed out on a short walk to meet the rest of the groups coming from other hotels and were delighted to learn that our guide for the afternoon would be Sean, the same amazing guide we'd had during the morning.  Once all united we drove straight away to the Tower of London.  Now I don't know about you, but I TAUGHT World History and I always thought that the "Tower of London" was just that......A TOWER.  Oh no my friends.....it is a fortified series of towers surrounded by an inner and outer wall with what was once a moat.  Go figure.  Today, in addition to being a UNESCO World Heritage site that dates back to the 1300's it's also the place where the Crown Jewels are stored.  They were fabulous - no photos allowed, sorry.  We also to see as we walked around the complex the site where all the beheadings took place.  "Fun fact" - did you know that prisoners PAID for their decapitation?  YES!  You wanted only the best executioner with the sharpest blade so that it would be swift and clean.  One poor convicted prisoner, a duke, refused to pay.  The first whack with the axe got him in the shoulder.  And the story goes that he stood up and argued with the executioner about how to do his job.  Took six more brutal whacks before the head and shoulders were completely separated....oh my.  We had about 40 minutes of free time at the end and after looking at one last tower we went outside the walls and had a cold drink at a Starbucks on the site.  There was our guide Sean so we bought him a coffee and the five of us chatted for about half an hour.  What a great guy.  He gave us all hearty handshakes and hugs as we bid him a fond farewell once we were dropped off at the hotel.

The "Tower" of London

The inner and outer walls

Tomorrow is one of the days Kim and I have been MOST looking forward to......"Harry Potter Studio Tour Day!"  Unfortunately we have to be in the lobby by 7 am to catch a cab to the train station to be taken to the site.  It will be a full day on our final day lasting nearly eight hours!  Wands at the ready!