St. Paul's Cathedral!

You've seen one church you've seen them all right? Normally, I'd probably say yes because the vastness is almost too much to take in but St. Paul's seemed to intrigue me; not so much the church itself, but the detail that went into it. This may sound weird but I couldn't look away from the floor. The floors are laid with intricate mosaics. I suppose that kind of sums me up, I wasn't so much interested in this famous holy place but the little details within. It could have been on the floor of a shopping mall and I would have had the same interest. I also love the pineapples on the top of the smaller domes. It has nothing to do with religion but is a symbol of welcoming (not to sound like a nerd but I was the only one in my class to know that.) Unfortunately, I could not take pictures inside—though I did manage to sneak a few of the ceiling. The story behind the Cathedral is actually pretty interesting as well, it went through hell and back, but you can google that.

Anyways, after our short tour, we get our own time to explore. I suppose you could just leave but we wanted to climb. The Cathedral has 3 domes. The first is the whispering gallery (look it up) and the next is the stone gallery followed by the golden gallery, all the way at the top. Did I mention it is 365 feet high and that I hate heights? With some coaxing by Brian and Kristin, they got me up to the first level, the whispering tower. I decided I wasn't going any higher, but was again persuaded to go up just one more level, up the tightest squeeze of a staircase. Once up there, we were able to see outside; amazing. Since I had made it that far, I convinced myself it was only right to go all the way to the top, it's not like I would be able to do it again and if I have a panic attack on the narrow, steep stairs, so what. Again, with the assistance of Kristin and Brian, I made it. It was pretty rewarding too because first, I conquered my fears and second, it really was beautiful, again something a picture can't convey. Out came the feeling of gratefulness.

I then took Kristin to the Millennium Bridge because she didn't get to see it and we headed to the bookstore to get Westminster paraphernalia and more postcards. After a long day, I came back to my room and FINALLY sat down to do my presentation on Hurricane Katrina (I've put it off for days.) I then had dinner up in Kristin's flat where we talked for a few hours with her flat mate, Dom; what a sweetheart he is—I have really been so lucky with all of the British friends I've made thus far.

After practicing my presentation, Becky and I took a stroll to the grocery store and had a nice chat and more bonding, she's great. OH and best news of the night, I FOUND FRANKS RED HOT SAUCE! I must say English food is SOOO boring and flavorless so now when there is anything I don't like, I can smother it in hot sauce, and I think it's small enough to fit in my purse!

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So not that thrilling of a post I'm sure but today was a good day and I think I got some decent photos out of it. Wish me luck on my presentation tomorrow!