Monday, May 7

I've been a little bit behind on my blogs, so I will try my best to catch up. Like I said previously, Monday was a free day which means lots of touristy things were done. Each student received a "London Pass" that can get you into many museums, galleries, etc. at no cost. My group started by going to St. Paul's Cathedral. We had been here before during the trip but didn't have the chance to go inside. I wasn't sure if it would be worth it, but it DEFINITELY was. St. Paul's was absolutely gorgeous. We came during a service time too which was really cool to see. We climbed all the way to the top of St. Paul's (530 steps!) and saw a beautiful view of the city. This church, originally built in 640 AD, has been well-known for many reasons but among them are Charles and Diana's wedding, Winston Churchill's funeral, and many Jubilee celebrations. Another interesting fact about St. Paul's Cathedral is that during World War II, Winston Churchill had volunteers standing on the roof of this cathedral to protect it by kicking off all the bombs. Don't know who would volunteer for that, but I'm happy for it.

I would post a view from the top, but I've posted too many scenic views, so here's a sneaky peak I took inside St. Paul's

Next, the group headed off to Tower of London. We wandered for a while, but we mainly went there to see the Crown Jewels.

Tower of London with the London Bridge in the background

Unfortunately I wasn't allowed to take any pictures of the actual Crown Jewels, but here's a little teaser of what I saw

Our next stop was to Westminster Abbey. The location of Prince William and Kate Middleton's infamous wedding. This church was also gorgeous and a lot of fun to walk around in.

Westminster Abbey

Another sneaky inside shot

Our final step was to the London Eye. We were able to get the best view and a 360-degree view of the city. We could see every landmark of the city, from East London to West London. We could see the Olympic Park, St. Paul's, Parliament, and just about anything else you can think of. 

View from the London Eye

Monday was so much fun, and I tried fish and chips for the first time! True London experience