Day 6: More London Pass

Thursday was our third and final day with the London Pass. We had already visited enough attractions to cover the cost, which meant anything extra was a bonus.

We decided to start our day at St. Paul's Cathedral. On going to the website in order to provide a link, I found out that the queen had been there exactly one week after us in order to dedicate a chapel. I'm glad she hadn't gone one week earlier, or it probably would have been closed to us!

We walked to the Tube station. Getting to the cathedral required a transfer. We were unable to take the first train that came through because there were too many people! But we smushed onto the second train. At the transfer point, the first two trains that came through were too crowded for any additional riders, so we decided that we'd just walk the extra stop and leave the train to the commuters.


Once again, photos were not allowed inside of the building. It was beautiful, but quite honestly, not my favorite cathedral. Of the ones I've seen so far, I'd have to say that Toledo's was my favorite. But with many cathedrals as yet unvisited by me, that is subject to change!

We walked up to the rotunda, but were unable to get the whisper chamber to work. Rose declined to walk up, instead admiring the crypt and various chapels on the ground floor and basement.

Brian and I walked up to the next level, which was outside. We tried to go to the third, higher, level, but were stopped by an employee who told us it was closed. That's why Brian's so sad in this picture, pointing to the upper level we weren't allowed to visit.
To cheer him up, he decided to play one of his favorite games which is spying on people down below using the zoom on the camera.

He spied on outdoor workers...
Indoor workers...

People on the bridge...

Pigeons...

...among others.

Here is a view of Millennium Bridge. That's the Tate Modern directly at the other end of the bridge and Shakespeare's Globe Theater, at the very left of this photo. Stay tuned for our visits to those attractions!
Returning to the interior of St. Paul's, we looked at the crypt, which contains memorials and graves for some famous people, including Florence Nightingale and Sir Christopher Wren.

There was a coffee shop across the street from the cathedral, so we stopped in for a quick snack and drink:
Then we walked across Millennium Bridge, back to the south side of the Thames.

We went to Shakespeare's Globe Theatre next. I was the only one that really wanted to go, but I think everyone was happy that they had after the fact. We had a really nice tour by one of the guides.

A view of the seats:

And of the stage:
Using a combination of the Tube and our legs, we next headed to the Queen's Gallery, an art gallery attached to Buckingham Palace. An outside view of Buckingham Palace: We couldn't tour Buckingham Palace, as those are available only in August and September. We really liked this gallery. It was just about the right size; not too big, but big enough for some masterpieces.

No pictures were allowed inside, but here Brian is approaching the entrance:
Then we went to the Jewel Tower, which is one of the only remaining sections of the Palace of Westminster, which was mostly destroyed by fire. The museum exhibits themselves weren't that interesting (Parliament), but the building was worth the trip.

The outside of the Tower:

And Brian posing in one of the little doors:
We tried next to go to the Banqueting House, which is the property in front of which King Charles I was beheaded. Unfortunately, it was closed, and it looks like they were getting ready for a real banquet:
A bit disappointed, but undeterred from having a great day, we decided to stop at the Red Lion Pub for drinks. My parents had gone here on their trip last year.
We finished with plenty of time left in the day, so we decided to see one last attraction on the London Pass: Churchill War Rooms and Museum. But, that's across the street from St. James's Park and we noticed some interesting looking waterfowl, so Brian and I crossed the street to investigate.

Although we took many pictures, I'll only subject you to one:
A squirrel did try to get inside the bag Brian was wearing, but was unsuccessful and ultimately scampered away. Had he succeeded, he likely would have been disappointed unless he was looking for a guidebook or map of London. We had no food.

Rose wasn't interested in going over by the pond, so she waited for us near the entrance to the museum. She struck up a conversation with an English-looking gentleman, asking him whether he knew the name of the park, but it turns out he was from New England instead! Everyone got a good laugh out of that.

No pictures allowed in the Churchill War Rooms and Museum, but it was very interesting. Once again, the museum was very interactive and it's very thought-provoking and interesting to see the rooms where Churchill and his staff planned their actions during WWII.

We had dinner at a pub, as we did most night. And, as usual, the food was quite delicious, and there was quite the vegetarian selection:

After dinner, we went to the National Portrait Gallery, where photos were not allowed. As expected, it was a great museum. However, we were all a little tired after so many days of sightseeing, so we didn't stay very long, and soon made our way to the Tube and, eventually, our apartment.