London is incredible! Home to one of the world's greatest accents, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, red telephone booths, fabulous tea, fish n' chips... Watching the olympics almost nonstop the past few days has made me miss that wonderful city, and wish I was back there- walking the bustling streets, enjoying the sound of the rain on my umbrella, and sipping giant cups of the best tea ever. I rather miss the warning to "Mind the Gap" every time I stepped off the Tube. So thanks to the olympics, I'm finally getting around to posting some photos from this trip. Do enjoy a tiny glimpse of London!
This is actually the view out my plane before my layover in Iceland. I just love traveling! Peeking down on the earth from so high up is quite the exhilarating feeling!
This was my first "Oh wow! I'm actually in London" shot.
Love this clock! Kinda want one of my own...
We went to church at Westminster Abbey the day after we arrived in London. Quite spectacular to say the least. The choir was breathtaking! Every beautiful note reverberated throughout the church in delicious echoes. If you ever get a chance to go- do it! But pack your sweater. These beautiful, old churches really aren't made to hold in any heat!
Is there anything more romantic than a red telephone booth?
Standing in the very center of London in Trafalgar Square. Epic. I give everyone one guess about which feet are mine...
This is the view from on top of St. Paul's cathedral... more on this in a minute...
Millenium Bridge. Originally meant to be "open" at the start of the new millennium, this bridge wasn't actually "opened" until 2002 due to structural problems. How's that for good planning?
This is quite near Shakespeare's Globe Theatre which is a modern reconstruction of the original Globe Theatre where Shakespeare performed. I say "modern", but it is actually operated much as it would have been back in the day. It was built without using any structural steel, they don't use any spotlights, or microphones, and the music is performed live using instruments from Shakespeare's time.
What would life be without a little self-documentation??
Probably one of the most recognizable sights of London, this is the reflection of St. Paul's Cathedral. Reflection is actually a good word when used in reference to this beautiful church. It has quite the history. Through the years, (and when I say "years" I mean centuries) this cathedral has suffered attacks from invaders, and attacks from nature, but it has always been raised again, and has really become a symbol of strength and endurance. During the Great Fire in London, this cathedral, along with about 90% of London's citizen's houses burned down. What really struck me though, in hearing about that, was that what people were most concerned with at that time, was not about taking care of their own property. The most important thing to the people of England at that time was rebuilding their house to the Lord. A man named Christopher Wren was commissioned to rebuild it after the Great Fire, and he poured his heart and soul into the project. Wren is buried in St. Paul's, and after finding out how important this cathedral is to the city of London, I assumed that his burial site would be one of grandeur and brilliance. He did, after all rebuild the most important church in London. I was wrong. Christopher Wren has a humble tomb that you sort of have to go hunting for to even find it. It's off in a corner where it would be quite easy to walk by without noticing. What I think is so inspiring about that, is the fact that Wren obviously didn't rebuild St. Paul's as a monument to himself, or to bring any glory to his own name. This man understood that the story of his life wasn't about him. On his tomb this is written:
Here in its foundations lies the architect of this church and city, Christopher Wren, who lived beyond ninety years, not for his own profit but for the public good. Reader, if you seek his monument - look around you.
As I wandered the halls of this great cathedral, I thought, "This is what I want for my life". I want my life to be like Christopher Wren's, whose work has been pointing people to God for centuries. If my legacy ends up in a corner somewhere, where it's easy to miss because people are distracted looking at the God that I have served... that's ok with me.
What would a trip to London be without this famous meal?
Tower Bridge
Supposedly, it's good luck to see Tower Bridge go up. I have a friend who lived in London for a couple of years, and never saw this happen, so you can understand why many of us sort of squealed when we realized that we were going to get to see it raised. We didn't really know what we should do to ensure our good luck, so we stood on one foot, threw in pennies, and I think we may have sung or something...
Not only did we see the bridge go up once, we saw it go up again a little later from the other side of the Thames. Luck times 1000!
One final shot of St. Paul's.
There it is! My 27-photo peek into London! There's much more I could've shared, but that would've made for a blog post that was much too long. You'll just have to hop across the pond yourself!
More of Europe to come soon...
j
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