Day 14: Off to London, England

This is one of a series of entries from my travel journal chronicling my recent trip to Europe. You can click here for the archived entries.

Day 13 | Day 14

England photo gallery here.

Oxford Tube, en route from London-Oxford 18/06/08

Great day today exploring London. We took the bus from Oxford into the city and arrived around noontime. After a quick lunch at Pret a Manger we headed to St. Paul's Cathedral. Words fail me to adequately describe the sheer size, beauty, and history of the place. It was built by Christopher Wren in the 18th century; actually it was a new version of the "Old Cathedral," which had burned down in the Great Fire of 1666. One can walk through the still-functioning church (no photos allowed, which I understand but still found annoying. No flash is understandable but no pics at all? So I had to keep my camera holstered.), explore the crypt below, and even climb to one of three observation areas - the first is at the top of the inside section of the big dome, a gallery overlooking the central altar below. A great view. Then there is an outdoor observation area in the tower above the dome. It provides a nice but obstructed view of the city. The real kicker was the final Golden Observatory, a tiny outdoor observation post - a few meters of railing around a square platform - with an unbelievable view of the city. Truly remarkable - one could see the Thames River, the various bridges including the Tower Bridge off in the distance, and the London Eye, a gargantuan Ferris wheel. Inside the Cathedral itself were impressive memorials to the military heroes of Great Britain, such as Lord Nelson and Sir Arthur Wellesley, the Duke of Wellington.