Another jam-packed week has passed. Friday, for many, brought a tired morning, an afternoon nap and a delightful evening. Friday began a little earlier this week, so we could get to the Westminster Abbey. Unfortunately, we were unable to take photos inside the Abbey. As much of a bummer that is, the number of tourists in that building was immense, and I can not imagine waddling through the building while hundreds of people are trying to take photos.
The Abbey was brilliantly gorgeous and meticulously detailed. It happens to be home to the graves of many influential individuals found in English history, including Sir Isaac Newton, Charles Dickens and Lawrence Olivier (a name featured in several blogs just last week)! Olivier's legacy finds itself in deep love for Shakespeare as the front man for the reconstruction of the Globe. As a result, Olivier is actually buried within the gaze of Shakespeare's memorial - what more could a Shakespeare fan ask for?
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| Westminster Abbi? |
While we wrapped up the tour, a few of us decided we would head to Lady Dinah's Cat Emporium. Once we arrived, we realized our mistake in not booking ahead, so we hopped across the street for desserts from the Motown Cafe. (I would attach a photo, but I forgot to take a picture before I devoured my caramel tart). We feasted and returned to the hotel for a rest before our turn at the Bloody London Tour with Declan.
Declan didn't recognize my group from our previous Shakespearean walking tour, but as soon as we mentioned we were from St. Scholastica, he gave us our discount and was quick to make jokes of us on the tour. The tour was gruesome and covered famous names like Jack the Ripper (Montague Druitt?) and Sweeney Todd. The tour was not without quirk, and it was immensely enjoyable. Not only did Declan talk about the vicious killers and villains, he also talked about the victims of the brutality. Sir William Wallace was a Scottish revolutionary who ended up being hung, drawn and quartered. The four remaining pieces of his body were sent to English cities where the Scots had defeated the Brits in battle.
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| Braveheart, is that you? Yes, it was. |
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| Alley next to Sweeney Todd's old place of business |
The tour ended at 9:00p.m., but the night wasn't over yet. A rather large group of us boosted the profits of the Freedom Club. It. Was. Amazing. The main level of the building is full of booths and a chic bar, but walking down the stairs, one is met with blaring music and very excited people. Push the doors open, and find one of the hottest dance floors in London. Our group of CSS students served up some killer American moves for nearly three hours. Let it be known, that we are a group filled with exquisite dancers.
This was such a fun day! Even though it was my second time touring the Westminster Abbey, I found that I took so much more away from it this time round. The audio tour guide mentioned that the current structure of the Abbey is the result of hundreds of years of renovations, restorations, and remodels brought about by changes in leadership and overall London culture! I had not realized that before and it made the cohesive gothic style displayed inside and outside the Abbey all the more impressive. The Abbey is currently being renovated again to add more space to the tour and to display more information about the Queens Jubilee, more of the Crown Jewels, and other items of significance to British culture (it opens in the summer of 2018 and I am kind of sad we missed it by a year). Our little mishap at the Cat Emporium was also unfortunate, but the delicious sundae from the Motown Cafe was a great way to life the spirits! I thought the cafe was adorable with its themed decorations, menu items, and music. While eating my "Endless Love" sundae (red velvet cake with vanilla and strawberry ice cream...delicious by the way), I was singing and humming along with the catchy tunes from the likes of Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, and The Temptations to name a few! Overall a marvelous day!
ReplyDeleteAbbi,
DeleteI too was saddened that we are a year premature to see the renovations. Perhaps we will have to return next year. ;)
DyAnna, I was in awe the entire time we were in Westminster! The architecture was so incredible, I was amazed at the intricate detail on every surface of the building. I also wish we could have taken photos. However, sometimes I think I depend too much on my camera and forget to actually look at the sights before me with my eyes, as opposed to through my camera. So maybe it was a good thing pictures were forbidden! I thought it was so cool to see the place where Elizabeth II was crowned Queen of England. I also thought the story about the coronation chair was interesting as well. How the space beneath the chair is usually filled with the important rock from Scotland that was stolen from there so many years ago. Seems rather rude to me, but I suppose traditions normalize things!
ReplyDeleteAllie,
DeleteThe story of the coronation chair was absolutely astounding! I find that the English really value their history, and choose to hold onto it through endless museums and traditions. I forget the exact year, but hasn't the chair been around for some time?
Westminster Abbey was a beautiful church. I especially loved Poet's Corner, with plaques dedicated to authors like C.S. Lewis, Jane Austen and Lewis Carroll, even though they weren't buried on the grounds. Lunch could have gone better, but I still liked Motown. Glad you liked your Bloody London Tour. Was there anything you found particularly interesting or creepy that you learned?
ReplyDeleteThe bloody tour was strangely delightful! I have always been a fan of the musical "Sweeney Todd," so when Declan started talking about his mischief I was beyond fascinated.
DeleteI absolutely loved Westminster Abbey! The architecture still astounds me, especially in the older portions of the abbey because how could people have possibly done so much exquisite work without the help of the tools we have now? My favorite part by far was seeing the tombs of all the kings and queens, especially Elizabeth I. I'm actually sad you guys couldn't visit the cat cafe, I'm not a huge cat fan but a restaurant filled with animals to pet and play with? Yes please!
ReplyDeleteWestminster was a delight. I found it quite interesting that Bloody Mary and her sister were buried so closely together! I would have to say their stories were some that I found most interesting.
DeleteI couldn't believe how beautiful Westminster Abbey was. There was so much history stored there. It definitely is one of the most iconic things in London. I also enjoyed the Bloody Tour! It was so interesting to hear about the different types of killers, and the place where they happened. I have to say going in that narrow alleyway was pretty sketchy but really cool!
ReplyDelete