We had a little trouble getting started this morning, but once we got up and got going, there was no stopping us! First stop of the day was the ticket office to schedule our tour of Parliament. Tours are only offered on Saturdays, so it was pretty busy. We managed to get tickets to the last tour of the day. With some time to kill, we went just around the corner to Westminster Abbey, which is the site of numerous coronations and weddings. The abbey itself is absolutely gorgeous, with tons of gold decoration and elaborate ornamentation. But the main draw is the numerous famous people who are buried or honored there. Almost every notable monarch was buried in Westminster, and my favorite monument was definitely the room that housed Elizabeth I and Mary Tudor. Though they didn't agreed in life, the tomb's inscription hopes for a unified resurrection. There are a great many political figures honored in Westminster, including Cromwell, though there's an interesting story there. There's a stone slab inscribed with his name and then 1658-1661, as he was buried in Westminster originally. However, when Charles II restored the monarchy, Cromwell was dug up, hanged, and then beheaded. Clearly public opinion had changed, or perhaps it was a measure taken to prevent zombie uprisings. Jokes aside, my favorite part of the abbey is the Poet's Corner, where literary and cultural figures are honored. As an English major, the main pilgrimage point would be the grave of Geoffrey Chaucer of The Canterbury Tales fame. There are many other notable names listed, including Jane Austen, the Bronte sisters, Shakespeare, Lewis Carrol, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Edmund Spenser, Robert Browning, Alfred Lord Tennyson, John Milton, and Charles Dickens. It was great to tour the Abbey--I've been here once before to hear Evening Song, which was incredibly beautiful, but it was hard to really get a good look at the place. Another plus: the audio guide was voiced by Jeremy Irons. You really can't beat that.
After Westminster, we took a stroll along the Thames to the Tate Britain, an art gallery where a large collection of JMW Turner's works are housed. I last saw Turner's work when a collection came to the National Gallery in DC, so it was great to revisit his style. He has two distinct styles, one being very clear-cut and realistic, the other being very loose and blurry (clearly, I know my art terms). I prefer the former, but it's always nice to get a good mix.
Finally, it was time for Parliament. All I can say is, if you have the chance to tour it, do it. The building is incredible; I can't imagine what it must be like to work there. We did get a little taste though, as our tour took us through the Houses of Commons and Lords. We also got to see the Robing Chamber, where the monarch prepares before opening Parliament every year. The major highlight of this room was that it had an Arthurian theme. The tapestries depicted Arthurian legends exemplifying the virtues of chivalry and there were also woodcuts telling the story of Arthur's life. I was in heaven. It was a pretty lengthy tour, and I feel like we hardly even scratched the surface--not an easy thing to do, since there are over 1100 rooms in Parliament. But it was such a good tour and an unbelievable experience.
The day was not done yet! We met up with Beall after our tour and headed down to the Apollo Victoria Theater to see Wicked. It was incredible to see, especially in London. The show itself is absolutely phenomenal, and to see it in a city like London... it was the perfect night.
But wait! There's more! We got back on the Tube to return to our hotel, but we made a split decision to go a few more stops to Kings Cross station. Why? To find Platform 9 3/4, of course! We had to wander a bit to find it, but we ended up finding a few other people that looked like they were on a similar quest, and together, we found it! Now that I know how to get on the train, looks like I'll be dropping out of Villanova and transferring to Hogwarts.
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