Day 17 How many things can I see in one day in London

I don't know how those people on my bus tour can travel for 6 months.  I'm exhausted after less than two weeks.  But I do have a different style than most of them did.  I'll walk around all day barely stopping for food and get a good sleep at night rated than the day.  To each their own.

Today is going to probably take me as long to write as it did to experience.  11 hours I left my hotel room I finally returned.  My day started with the busiest tube lime ever.  Seems like the Bakerloo line is a popular one.  I let the first train pass and got onto the second which wasn't quite as busy but still pretty much packed.  

I only had one transfer to the central lime and then I was off for my first my first stop of the day at St Paul's cathedral.  It was practically steps away from the tube station to the stairs where Mary Poppins sang feed the birds.  I wish that I had the confidence to just start singing on the stairs but alas I didn't at that moment.  I went inside and was immediately in awe.  The cathedral is huge.  The ceilings have to be at least 80 feet tall.  The back half of the church has the most intricate mosaics on the ceiling. Yes the ceiling.  You are not allowed to take photos inside the building but I managed to snap at least 4.  They probably want you to buy the postcards.  I walked all around the main floor and then headed down into the crypt.  The crypt is supposed to be the largest in Europe.  There were statues everywhere, grave markers in the floor, and stone crypts.  There is one crypt here that was meant for Cardinal Wolsey.   It was constructed before he fell out of favor with Henry the Eighth, which I already knew thanks to the Tudors, and was used about 200 years later with a different cap piece on the top. 

After the crypt I headed back to the main floor to look up at the famous dome.  I found out that there are two domes.  The interior dome can only be seen from the inside with the beautiful frescoes.  Yes I can use that word because I'm in Europe.  The dome seen from the outside sits above the interior one.  The architect created a perfect illusion from both sides.  When I was staring at the dome an alarm went off inside.  I started heading to the door but I decided to ask a docent if it was a test, which it was.  The docent happened to be sitting next to the stairs to the top of the dome.  I had forgotten about doing that so I took it as a sign, being in a church after all, and started my way up.  It was only a few steps.  530 or so to the top.  Did I make it? Of course I did but I will pay for it tomorrow.  

There were three levels to stop and view from the stairs.  The first was within the cathedral called the Whispering room.  100 feet diameter and you should be able to hear someone whisper from the other side.  From there about 150 steps up is the lower outside area at the base of the dome.  Great view of the city with lots of space to walk around, take a break, and take some photos before heading up again.  150 more steps and you were rewarded with a panoramic view of the city.  Why go on the London Eye when you can get a workout and truly see the entire city.  It was amazing.  That's three capital cities and three panoramic views.  Everyone was totally worth it.

After catching my breath on the ground again I headed towards the river to figure out what to do next.  I finally found a bookstore aster looking for one for a while and found my Harry Potter book.  

I bought the first book in hardback since everyone else has the Philosopher's stone rather than the Sorcerer's stone.  Sweet!  From the bookshop I decided to go back where I was the day before around Buckingham palace.  

My first stop after hopping off the tube was the Banqueting House.  

Previously an entire palace before most of the building was lost to fire.  All that is left is a two story hall.  The lower level has beautifully simple white architectural ceiling.  The upper level had some amazing paintings.  Since it was a palace there is a throne inside.

This palace is also the place where King Charles I was executed.  A very checked past but also home to a Harry Potter greenroom when they were filming in the area I learned the previous day on my muggle tour.

Just across the street was Horse Guards parade.   It didn't look as busy as it had the previous day so across I went.  I seem to have pretty good timing because when I arrived they were changing the guards. 

 So instead of only two horses on site I saw 4.  I would have checked out their museum but it was closed due to the Olympic Games.  Next time then.  

From there I walked by 10 Downing street.  The home to the English Prime Minister.  There is a gate in front of entry to the street that was added due to threats made by the IRA during the 1980s.  Quite a police presence at the gate.  Just down the next street and under ground is the Churchill War Rooms.  

What an impressive museum it is.  They have recreated all the rooms from wartime even down to the items that were previously there.  The map room was the most impressive.  Once the war was over the people who worked there pretty much left and whet home.  Thirty years later they practically rediscovered the rooms untouched down to the pin holes in the maps, phones, desks and room signs.

The other half of the museum went into Churchill's own life from his rebellious childhood, entering politics at the ripe age of 25, becoming to "radical" for most and falling out until his time as Prime Minister.  What I didn't know was that he was not reelected right after the war.  He was reelected in 1951 after losing in 1945.  I suppose politics never really makes sense at any point in history.  

He was truly a character of a person with his trademark cigars, bowties and rompers.  Both parts of the museum were truly wonderful.  I learner a lot about the war and Churchill like the fact that sometimes during the bomb raids he would stand on the room of his secret headquarters.

From the war room I walked towards Buckingham palace to visit some Royal lo-cals.  My first stop was the guards museum.  The man at the desk explained the different regalia to me in the lobby of the 7 different UK regimens.  I had seen a lot of this info at the Edinburgh castle so I didn't spend to long inside.  The highlight was Queen Elizabeth's first and last military uniforms that she has worn during her reign. 

Just outside the museum is where all the military train including the band.  The band was outside practicing their music and formations.  They sounded great and it was nice to have an impromptu concert on the middle of the day and take a seat for a bit.  If you haven't gathered I don't take many breaks when traveling by myself.  That could be bad for me or at least for my legs at the end of the day.

I waived to the palace which looked the same as it did the day before but with more sunshine.  I headed towards the Royal Mews. What is that you say, you'll find out later.  I first stumbled upon The Queen's Royal Gallery.  I got a ticket since it was included with my London pass to come back an hour later.

To the Royal Mews I went.  The Mews is home to the Royal Carriages, cars and giant horses.

In the past it has also been home to the various Royal birds of prey.  They have Diana's wedding coach, Kate's wedding coach and the coronation coach.

The coronation coach was he most ornate item i have ever seen.  Completely covered in gold leaf with sculptures surrounding he monarch and practically crowning them again.  They are much bigger than you think they are.  And the horses are big too.
  They look to scale in pictures and on TV but they are truly massive.  That was one of my highlights of Royal London.  It was probably the highlight of my Royal locations because I had no idea what to expect.

I got my ticket to return an hour later after visiting the Mews at the Queens Gallery was a display of Da Vinci's anatomical drawings.  He was a visionary before his time.  His dissections of human and animal bodies were not seen again for another 400 years.  He was such a detailed drawer, every muscle was in the right place.  Plus he was left handed and wrote in mirror writing.  I did the same thing when I was a child so maybe I'm an artistic genius and didn't know it until I saw Da Vinci's world.  It was a nice stumble upon attraction because I had no idea it was there before walking by it.

I had meant to go to Westminster Abbey but found out that their last entry was at the same time as my gallery ticket so I left it for another day.  So onto the tube I went back to Trafalgar square and to the National portrait gallery.  My London pass included entry into special exhibits and there was one on the queen that Isaac interested in seeing.  Mostly photos of her throughout the years from when she was first crowned to her Diamond Jubilee today.  There is one photo of her that I love when she was very young with a striking red background.  I took a couple more photos when I was not supposed to, headed into the shop to buy some trinkets and then across the street I went.

I went over to a church that had an area for brass rubbing in their crypt.  Just like the Crayon tracing you did when you were 7.  I had read about it in a guidebook before coming and found it was included in the London pass.  Some of the pieces you could trace were over 5 feet tall.  I chose a British crest that wouldn't take too long to do since it was close to their closing time.  Its always great to have a quiet moment of acting like a kid again.

Trafalgar square was just out the door from the brass rubbing.  Since the Olympics were still on, or the Paralympics, they had a stage set up that they played live video of the competitions.  I just happen to be there for a the final for one of the GB swimmers who is pretty much the face of the Paralympics in England.  I sat down in the square for the race, which she won, and the scene around me was full of celebration.  It was a very cool moment.

I had one more stop set out for the day at Oxford Street for some shopping.  Oxford street is full of everything for all your shopping needs from John Lewis, a department store a similar level to Nordstrom including electronics (almost a fancy Target), to Primark. I went there looking for the Disney store.  I found it but nothing was very different there from the US stores outside of a small London section where I bought a pin.

I then headed back towards John Lewis in search of some Olympic items.  I had seen many people around town with bags from there that said they were the official supplier for the games.  On the top floor I found a ton of stuff.  I looked around for quite a while before deciding on a t shirt which I found out was on sale even though I didn't know it.  Score!  I walked down the street for about 10 more minutes down to the Primark.  I was hoping to find a London t shirt but I was not successful there. It was a mad house and all the shirts there from the London collection were cut funny.  I thought about grabbing some socks but it was far to busy to be worth standing in line.

Finally I made it back to the hotel many hours after leaving in the morning to sleep off a really long day.  One more day with a London pass running around the city tomorrow.