London is the perfect city. After waking up and chatting with our homestay mom, Lily and I headed to meet the group at St. Pauls. The magnitude, the beauty, the significance of this church cannot be expressed in words. It is so overwhelming, I began to cry just at the power of it. It makes you believe in a divinity solely because man couldn't make such beauty without some sort of divine influence. Breath-taking. We stayed and watched a service and I discovered that "My Country Tis of Thee" sounds strikingly similar to "God Save the Queen". Lily pointed that one out for me when I started singing along to the English tune with American pride. Then, we travelled to the crypt, where there are tombs as old as the 1600's and statues from the original church erected in 600 A.D. We saw tombs belonging to Admiral Nelson, Florence Nightingale and the Duke of Wellington and marvelled at the ages of those who passed and the dates on which they did. After this eerie experience of skirting around the tombs in the ground, we climbed the 570 plus stairs to get to the top dome. The stairs got smaller and smaller while the ceilings got lower and lower...finally, we arrived at the exterior. Standing out on the ledge, you can see the entirety of London, stretching for miles and miles and miles. Lily and I left a little heart at the top to leave our mark on the ancient building. This city blows your mind.
After our legs stopped shaking from the climb and our nerves, we went for sushi. It was on a conveyor belt! What a lunch experience, such a diverse population. Post lunch, we walked across the Millenium Bridge to the Tate Museum. When we walked in the atrium, a huge protest was going on. People were flinging up black balloons shouting about the oil spill and British Petroleum. Too cool. Wandered through the Warhol exhibit and some fascinating surrealism exhibits, taking in each piece in its amazing depth. Then we journeyed to the thatched-roof Globe theatre-- home of Shakespeare! Just in shock to be in a place that he walked. We re-crossed the bridge, denying ourselves the peanuts from the vendors, and ventured to the place where Harry Potter was filmed, the Australia House! Australia House was Gringotts in the film. From here, we saw the Somerset Place, played in the fountain and then sought out a little cafe'. Found an amazing organic place, after a run-in with a stag party dressed in Halloween decor who invited us to drinks, and planned our evening. After a wine and dine, Lily and I headed back to our homestay--sans train scare this time.
This city really gives you a perspective. So much history, such a wealth of people and so much excitement. Can't think of a better place.
Love you all xxx
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