The Journal for Yesterday, Our last Day in London

March 10, 2009 (p.m.)

I wish those of you who love both English and church history could have been with us today as we toured Westminster Abbey, the Tower of London and St. Paul’s Cathedral. Needless to say, today was the most educational day of our trip so far.

Let’s start with Westminster Abbey. This thousand-year-old church is considered by many to be the greatest church in the English-speaking world. It is the place where England’s kings and queens have been crowned and buried since 1066. There are 3,000 tombs within its walls, including 29 which contain the remains of former kings and queens, and hundreds of memorials to and/or tombs of poets, politicians, scientists (Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin) and warriors. This church also played a significant role in the history of the reformation, particularly to the Presbyterian denomination, chiefly because of the development of the Westminster Confession (at least the original draft) during a series of meetings at Westminster during the late 17th century.

We were extremely disappointed that photography is not allowed in the Abbey. Words cannot describe the beauty and enormity of this amazing church. We were really quite speechless at times. Yet to be honest, part of me wondered who received the most glory from its splendor – the Lord Jesus Christ who gave his life for the church or the British Royalty who lay entombed within. I won’t get into all the details of why I feel that way now, but I’ll be glad to share my observations with anyone who is interested later.

The only way I know how to describe the Tower of London is “cool”! The Tower has served as “a castle in wartime, a king’s residence in peacetime, and, most notoriously, as the imprisonment and execution site of rebels.” I love medieval history, stories (fact or fiction) and especially castles. I saw plenty of that today – swords, armor, early firearms, scepters, staffs, orbs, ornate furnishings for coronations and holy communion, and absolutely stunning crown jewels. I mentioned to Sonya as we toured the Tower that I’m glad I only had to learn 200 years of my country’s history during school. Think about all those pour Brits who have to learn over a thousand years of history which includes many kings who shared the same name.

Our final stop on this very busy day was St. Paul’s Cathedral, the place where Prince Charles and Lady Diana were married (at least that’s how I remember it). The architecture and artwork within this church are breathtaking, including a 365 ft. elaborate dome in the center of its cross-like design. And, of course, no photography is allowed there, but we bought a souvenir guide book (as we did at Westminster and the Tower) to help us remember our visit to this enormous cathedral.

On the way back to the hotel we stopped by Oxford Station to do a little shopping. Little did I know that the world’s largest Apple Store was just down the street. I saw a black flag with a familiar white apple in its center flapping above the thousands of pedestrians that hurried up and down the sidewalks of this popular shopping district. I decided to trek down the road to what I was sure was an Apple Store while Sonya shopped in United Colors of Benneton. I wanted to be able to tell Drew, my oldest son, that I had visited his favorite store, but this time in London. I was blown away by what I saw! This place was huge! I know everyone there thought I was crazy as I walked around the store snapping pictures. I told a nearby security guard who was watching me suspiciously that I was taking photos for my son. He then told me that the store was the largest of its kind in the world. I believe it!

We finished our stay in London at our favorite pub down the street, the Jugged Hare. This time Sonya ate Shepherd’s pie – a pot pie made of lamb, carrots, peas and gravy, topped with mashed potatoes and shredded cheese. Yum! That was always one of my mom’s favorite dishes while we were here. Eat your heart out, mom.

Tomorrow is a long day. We will wake up at 4:00 a.m. (11:00 p.m. CST) to pack and meet our taxi driver at 4:55 a.m., who will take us to London-Heathrow airport for a flight to Frankfurt, Germany. Next time you hear from me I will probably be typing away on my laptop in a hotel that overlooks the Rhine River in beautiful St. Goar, Germany.

Now for some more misc. notes about today…

· I made some big-time points with Sonya today when I bought her two colorful scarves for five pounds ($7.00) from a street vendor.
· I probably came closer than I realize to getting kicked out of Westminster Abbey by an angry priest or monk who caught me video-taping the choir (quire) area with my small digital camera. I apologetically turned it off and put it away as he continued to fuss at me very rudely and angrily (hmmm, a Brit rude and angry?). I wanted to share a word with him from Galations 5:22-23, but I’m sure he is familiar with that passage already ;-)
· OK, it’s now official. Sonya believes me. Southern girls are definitely the prettiest in the world. No offense to all the others, but it’s true. For some reason, mostly by the grace of God I’m sure, our women are simply blessed with beautiful faces and perfect figures. Not that I’ve noticed of course – Sonya told me all these things and who am I to doubt her?
· We couldn’t help but think of Sonya’s mother, Jean, today as we traveled up 257 spiraled steps to the whispering ring of the dome at St. Paul’s Cathedral and back down again.
· Sonya has really come to appreciate British humor. The folks here are really quite quick-witted as you can imagine.
· I’ve never seen so much drab clothing in my life. No one here wears anything of color. It’s all black or gray. It’s really quite depressing. I wouldn’t mind even seeing some crimson every now and then. Hmmmm, I take that back. That’s even more depressing.

Wish you all were here – not!