London: Part 2
This is (technically) part 2 of a (no. TBD) part series about my 2012 trip to London and Paris-- yes, it has taken me 8 months to post about this vacation. If I get a bit exhaustive with the details, I apologize, but this is very much for my personal recollection. If you're interested, you can view part 1 here.
Day two began with bagels from a small shop on London Wall and a caramel macchiato from Starbucks on our walk to Matt's office. I got up when he did almost every day, as eager to spend as much time as I could both with him and the city. After that I took some time back at the hotel checking emails and planning my day.
I spent some time on Cheapside, home to a variety of shops (Top Shop!) and the beautiful St. Mary le Bow Church (which I admired from the outside, but wish I had gone into). I can never resist a bookstore, so I took a lap around Daunt Books where I was excited to see a young adult series I loved as a young/older adult: the Confessions of Georgia Nicolson series by Louise Rennison (they're cute, fast-paced books, sort of a Bridget Jones for the younger set. If you're into YA fiction I would recommend them for an easy summer read!)
I tried my best to do things that Matt didn't especially care about on the days when he had to work, and surprisingly St. Paul's Cathedral fit into that category (I know, sacrilege. I've already told him that when we go back to London I'm taking him inside). When I arrived at St. Paul's, I was disappointed to find that they wouldn't accept the coupon I had pulled up on my phone (even though the deal website said they would. Lies!). Admission was about £15, but you can save up to £1.50 and get fast track entry if you order them online. Since we were visiting during the week at the end of November we didn't have issues with lines anywhere we went, but I imagine that during a busy tourist season lines can get long, so planning in advance would probably be helpful.
I spent the majority of the afternoon exploring the church. Admission includes access to the cathedral floor, the crypt, all three galleries in the dome and a multimedia tour. I had never really taken advantage of audio tours before this trip and I have to say I'm so glad I was introduced to them. Most of the museums and churches we toured on our trip used iPod touches (or similar touchscreen devices) which allows you to choose your own path, getting as much or as little information as you wish.
I spent the bulk of my time on the cathedral floor where the architecture and artistry is absolutely breathtaking. Unfortunately they don't allow photography and I felt I should abide by the rules, so I don't have any pictures to share, but even if I had, no picture of mine would do it justice. My only other experience in Europe up to this point had been a high school trip to Italy where I toured many cathedrals, and in my opinion St. Paul's can hang with the big boys of European churches.
When you finish touring the cathedral floor you have the option to go down to the Crypt, or up to the Whispering gallery (257 steps up from the cathedral floor), the Stone gallery (376) and the Golden galleries (528 steps). Since I had eaten a Larabar before I went into the church I opted to do the galleries first and save the crypt for last since that's where the food is. As you can probably tell from the number of steps, going all the way to the top is no easy feat, but you do have the option to exit on each level (so going to the Whispering gallery doesn't mean you're stuck going all the way to the Stone and Golden galleries). I started climbing and didn't look back.
The Whispering gallery is very narrow, with benches all along the wall. I didn't try whispering across, but I did peek over the edge to the Cathedral floor-- holy heights, Batman.
As you continue up to the Stone gallery, the stairs become increasingly steeper and narrower, so if you don't like confined spaces this probably isn't for you. I'm in fairly good shape and I was sweating and panting by the time I reached the landing to the first lookout point, happy to be outdoors in the cool air. This is the best picture I could get of the stairwell:
At this point I realized that the climb to the very top wouldn't be easy, but I was fully committed to the experience and channeling my inner "I'm Every Woman" strength, I took a scary metal spiral staircase up, one step at a time, clinging to the banister. The view at the top makes all the steps worth it, it's beautiful and exhilarating. I don't know why I went with my iPhone for photographing the view when I had the DSLR in my bag, these shots don't do it justice. I'd love to go back on a clear day.
the front of St. Paul's
I made my way back down to the Cathedral floor, then down further to the crypt. By this time I was starving and overheated in my winter coat and Hunters, so I just did a quick lap around before heading over to the eatery section of the crypt-- weird, but cool. There's the Cafe at St. Paul's (which I opted for), which offers a wide variety of soups, salads, sandwiches, hot dishes and baked goods, and there's the Restaurant at St. Paul's, which in addition to lunch also offers an afternoon tea. Were I to go back I would undoubtedly splurge for the restaurant for the experience, but the baked mac and cheese and salad I had from the cafe were very good. I did have a bit of a 'DJ Tanner on the first day of high school' moment while holding my tray of food and realizing that there were no available seats, but I managed to find a free pew against the wall, so crisis averted.
This was a big day for me because it felt like my first "real" experience traveling alone. I managed to get myself to, in and up St. Paul's, and even ate a meal by myself. I definitely enjoy traveling with another person, but I learned that I also enjoy my own company and going at my own pace, and I was proud that I took on this unfamiliar experience independently. Year of Allie!
OK, onto the rest of the day 2! I spent a bit of time walking around the grounds surrounding the church, which were so peaceful.
After St. Paul's I wandered around a bit, investigating side alleys and heading in the general direction of the Thames.
I ended up crossing over to the South Bank via London Bridge and stumbling upon Borough Market, which was on my list of places to visit. Since it was late afternoon by this point most of the stalls were empty, but I was lucky to get samples of pretzels, cookies and ice cream from vendors who were in the process of packing up for the day (I went back twice more, so I'll post pictures another day).
I ducked into Southwark Cathedral to look around, which was beautiful, but required a permit for photography. Had it not been late in the day I probably would have stayed longer and taken some photos, but I had to get back to the hotel. Their website has a panoramic virtual tour which is worth a look if you're interested.
I walked along the Thames to the Millennium Bridge, which I had been looking forward to seeing (thanks to Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince scene). I passed the Globe Theater and the Tate Modern, but didn't stop anywhere.
By this time the sun was setting and the city was beginning to come alive with lights. Walking across the Millennium Bridge toward St. Paul's was one of my favorite sights of the trip because it's the perfect juxtaposition of the modern and historic aspects of the city.
It began to rain lightly and I sat on a bench taking in the crowds of commuters, black cabs and red double decker buses whizzing by while St. Paul's silently overlooked the scene. It was a point where I realized "I'm really here," just taking in the moment. So often nowadays there's backlash against technology, for people not 'living' a moment because they're too busy photographing it. I for one am so glad that I had my iPhone with me to capture that moment because I never want to forget experiencing it.
The rain began to fall heavier, so I went back to the hotel for my nightly ritual of tea in the bath, admiring holiday lights along the way.
We had a nice dinner and walked around in the rain for awhile afterward before heading back to the hotel.
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