Wow. What a full day. We spent the entirety of today on a guided tour of some of London’s biggest sites. After nearly a week of almost exclusively WWII touring, it was really interesting to see some of the city’s most famous landmarks.
Buckingham Palace
Our first guided tour stop was at Buckingham Palace. I would say the experience was very similar to visiting the outside of the White House. Very cool, but smaller than you’d expect. We were fortunate that the weather was cold today because it kept the crowds away. We were able to roam freely and get some great photos. The changing of the guard only happens on Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, so we missed out. Our guide told us that that was actually to our benefit because the crowds make that event quite miserable.
We spent a lot of time talking about the royal family and how there’s so much symbolism around everything they do. Every item that they wear, event that they attend, and tradition they uphold is steeped in tradition. There’s also an interesting dynamic between the monarch and the Church of England, as the monarch is the head of the Church. In both Anglican services I attended, there were many prayers offered for the king and his ability to rule as God’s servant. Coming from Mennonite ideals, that’s nearly the complete opposite of what I’ve come to know and believe. As always with intercultural interaction, it’s beneficial to see how other people do things around the world. To see a deep faith in the same God juxtaposed with a deep connection with the government reminded me what a truly global thing Christ’s Church really is. I’m sure that fact will continue to reveal itself as I attend other Christian events and sites throughout this trip.
Saint Paul’s Cathedral
Next up on the tour was St. Paul’s Cathedral, the biggest in London (and the UK?). It’s where Princess Diana got married, Churchill’s funeral was held, among other things. It’s a Protestant Church, so it was much less ornate than many of the Catholic cathedrals over here. Protestants are cautious about anything distracting from worship of God — such as art, color, ornamentation — so much of the intricacy of the church was found in the architecture. Over time, some monarchs, starting with Queen Victoria, began adding color and statues to honor the history of the UK. I still have mixed feelings about that kind of stuff, but it sure was beautiful.
London Eye
Following St. Paul’s, we headed over to the huge ferris wheel that we all know from London’s skyline. Grandma’s walker came in extra handy because it made her ticket free and put us in the fast track lane. We took a 30 minute ride around the Eye that made my legs wobble. It offered wonderful views of the skyline, Parliament building, and river. It was also a great shelter from the cold.
Tower of London
Last stop on the tour was the Tower of London, which I’d never heard over. We took a Thames River cruise over to the cluster of skyscrapers along the river, exited, and walked into… a castle. Definitely not a tower. But that’s the name! Apparently, it was the home of the monarchs in England until Henry VIII began spending more time down river at Windsor and Buckingham. There’s a lot to say about the castle, but the basics are that it was built on top of a wall that the Romans created shortly after Jesus’s resurrection. The castle foundations on the center building (the tower) were laid nearly 1000 years ago. Crazy.
We toured the Tower to find lots of armor of past kings, learn about famous historical events like the execution of Henry VIII’s wives, and see the Crown Jewels. Yep, we saw the actual crowns and jewels worn by the royalty during their coronations. The Tower is their permanent home when they’re not in use for ceremonies. Photography was forbidden, which is really sad. I have never seen jewelry sparkle like that. The diamond-studded crowns glittered so much they were hard to look at. I’m not exaggerating. They also house the royal dishes for ceremonial communion and feasts. Queen Victoria’s solid gold punch bowl was probably about 5 feet wide and weighed nearly 600 lbs. They were absolutely stunning. Our tour guide said it’s difficult to price the items, but their precious metal/stone value alone was in the 2-4 billion range.
Tomorrow
We make our way to Dunkirk, France tomorrow. We’ve got to be in our cab at 5am. Yuck! More on that after we’ve seen it!