The days have been very full so far on this trip, which hasn’t left much time to process photos, but hopefully a few will be ready for upcoming entries. Sadly, on a day that saw visits to Westminster Abbey and the Tower of London, the photos are still on my camera and I’ve not had a chance to look at them yet.
Audrey left for Canterbury yesterday, and after seeing her off to the train station I made my way to Westminster Abbey, only to see a sign at the end of a long queue stating that tickets for the day were sold out. Never one to miss a Gothic Cathedral, I discovered that purchasing a single day London Pass got me in without a ticket, and thanks to the miracle that is the internet I was in the door a short time later. The grand cathedrals always put me in awe, obviously from their historical and cultural significance, but mostly from their engineering; these things were built hundreds of years before Columbus sailed in a time where they didn’t have steam engines, much less electricity or other modern machinery. The stone was carved by hand, it was lifted hundreds of feet in the air by hand, and the craftsmanship was so good that 800 years later it’s still standing solid, all from a time when people were being burned alive for witchcraft and books had to be copied by hand.
From Westminster I made a visit to the Tower of London. I was in England once before in 1997, and we visited the Tower, but it was an incredibly short visit, and I honestly don’t remember much aside from the fact that we skipped the Crown Jewels due to the line. This time I had several hours and made sure to see the Crown Jewels, but maybe because I’m an American I came away thinking that it was all a bit silly; it’s hard enough to take politicians seriously these days, so trying to imagine Kevin McCarthy or Joe Biden with a scepter in his hand or a fuzzy crown on his head? It’s obviously neat to see the world’s largest diamond and so many other precious objects, but I couldn’t help thinking how odd it is in today’s world to still have so much wealth tied up in jewelry, golden serving plates, and other showpieces. What I did love about the Tower was the history, and (again) the engineering. They built a massive stone fortress a thousand years ago with fifteen foot thick walls, rising 100 feet into the air, and did it all using just brute strength and ingenuity, and I spent a lot of time roaming around looking at walls, doors, beams, and everything else that has stood on this site since it was built in the 1080s.
The day ended with an adventure on the subway, otherwise known as the Tube, otherwise known as the Underground, where I ironically had to take a line named “Overground”, I assume because it was mostly above-ground. After (mostly) successfully navigating two subway transfers and a bus trip I met a friend for drinks and Indian food, as well as much laughter, before again (mostly) successfully navigating the public transit system back to Victoria station and the hotel.