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| Australia House - Gringotts Wizarding Bank |
As we made our way through the city, buying our time before we could entire the next exiting church, we came across the Australia House. What makes this building so cool, you ask? The Australia House is an embassy for British Commonwealth, but it is famous for its role as Gringotts Wizarding Bank in the "Harry Potter" movie series.
The house had some spectacular artwork on its exterior.
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| Outside of the Australia House |
The house was not open to the public, but you could peek through the glass doors and see the hallway lined with the extravagant chandeliers shown in the movies.
Continuing on, we came across the Royal Courts of Justice, Britain's highest civil court. It wasn't long ago Paul McCartney passed through its entryway on the way to a multi-million pound divorce.
This civil court is not to be confused with the criminal courthouse, referred to as Old Bailey.
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| The Royal Courts of Justice |
Finally it was time to make our way back to visit Temple Church, which is nestled in a hidden alleyway away from the noisy streets outside. You might remember Temple Church from its role in The Da Vinci Code.
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| Alleyway to Temple Church |
Temple Church has very limited hours, so it was a very special treat to go inside.
Temple Church was once the headquarters of the Knights Templar, a band of heavily-armed, highly-trained monks who dressed in long white robes beneath their heavy armor. The knights were sworn to chastity and protect pilgrims traveling to Muslim holy lands. We will just stick to the facts, not to the plot of the Da Vinci Code.
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| Temple Church |
Temple Church is designed after the Holy Sepulcher in Jersusalem. Inside the naive is a plaque showing the two churches' similar layouts, and my guess is the same stonework.
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| Temple Church |
We found marble effigies of Templar Knights on the floor of the church.
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| Effigy of a Templar Knight |
Inside the circular chapel, the walls were lined with scary faces. The faces are supposed to represent the wars that the Knights Templar were involved in.
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| Inside Temple Church |
Temple Church was beautiful with its colorful stained glass and marble columns. It was very incredible to step inside.
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| Inside Temple Church - facing altar |
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| Stained glass inside Temple Church |
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| Pipe organ inside Temple Church |
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| Bibles inside Temple Church |
After exploring Temple Church, we moved back into the hustle and bustle of Fleet Street to check out Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese Tavern. Charles Dickens, W.B. Yeats, Teddy Roosevelt and Mark Twain frequented the Cheese.
The Cheese felt very extravagant -- people in formal attire had pulled up chairs at its tables adorned with white table clothes and wine glasses -- so we got the hell outta dodge. Our jeans, tennis and hoodies ensembles were not suited for the place, so we returned to Fleet Street in search of a good meal.
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| Entrance to St. Bride's Church courty |
After lunch, we made our way through more alleyways and away from the noisy Fleet Street to the quiet courtyard of St. Bride's church. The fun part about St. Bride's church is that it is rumored to be the model for the current bride's cake with its tiered steeple.
Interestingly, St. Bride's church has a better history than just being the model for the bride's cake. It's also one of most ancient churches in London, with worship services dating back to the Saxons in the seventh century. The current church is at least the seventh church to be built on the site. Snoopy and I ventured down into the crypt to see the remains of the six other church foundations on the site.
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| Pidgeon walking around |
As a note about crypts, I learned in London that almost every church has a crypt and each one seems to have a very thick smell that I cannot describe, and this crypt was no exception. The musty air also felt thick on the skin, similar to a very cold and humid day in Houston. It chills you to the bones. Snoopy claims he could not smell anything.
When we went down into this crypt, we could see, and sometimes touch, the foundations of the former churches St. Bride's was built upon. The mortar was chipping and the stones were cold and felt rough to the touch.
St. Bride's church was especially important to Snoopy because in 1500, the newspaper business began when Wynkyn de Worde set up shop as a printing press. Until 1695, London was the only location in Britain permitted by law to allow printing. Unfortunately, there was a lot to be desired when it came to remembering the past as a printing business.
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| St. Bride's Church steeple |
Up next was we moved further down Fleet Street on to St. Paul's cathedral. I had no idea what to expect since I had seen the dome from a distance, seen Westminster Abbey, seen video footage from Princess Diana and Prince Charles' wedding in 1982, but nothing could have truly prepared me for the experience that St. Paul's cathedral provided and for the impression that it left on me.
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| St. Paul's Cathedral |
First and foremost, St. Paul's cathedral is enormous. Looking at photographs of the church does not do it justice. The place is huge. Going inside the church was another sight to behold. Snoopy and I took an enlightening guided audio tour, which highlighted its history and construction. It really grabbed me. The tour began with the memorial behind the high altar, which pays tribute to American servicemen killed in World War II while assisting the Brits. As I have mentioned before, the wounds of both world wars are still raw and emotional for Europeans. But the construction of the memorial is what drew my attention. Britons raised money for the memorial in an attempt to honor Americans of all religious backgrounds, including Islam, Judaism and Christianity. I felt it showed Jesus' love extends to people of all faiths, not Christians alone.
Also, St. Paul's cathedral is a pivotal place for people to meet during times of celebration and sorrow. Mourners ventured to St. Paul's in an attempt to find a place of hope and support following the 9/11 attacks. St. Paul's Cathedral, in my mind, is the definition of the everyman's church.
After touring the inside, Snoops talked me into climbing to the hall of whispers, which is in the dome above the altar. The hall's acoustics allow a person to hear someone whispering from the other side of the hall. After the climb and walk around the dome, Snoops talked me into going up to the top. I was terrified! The steep, spiral staircase did not make for a happy Lindsay. At one point, the dizzying stairwell became so narrow handrails could not fit, and our shoulders grazed the walls. All signs that read "mind your head" did not apply to me.
Once we reached the top, the views were breathtaking. Despite my shaking hands and gusting winds, I was able to hold the camera steady enough for a few good shots of London from the top of the St. Paul's dome.
The pictures speak for themselves:
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| View from the top of St. Paul's cathedral |
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| View from the top of St. Paul's cathedral |
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| View from the top of St. Paul's cathedral - Tower Bridge |
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| View from the top of St. Paul's cathedral - Thames River |
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| View from the top of St. Paul's cathedral |
On the way out, we found these friendly little squirrels in the courtyard just behind the cathedral. If you know me, you know I wanted pictures of the little guys. They came right up to us but move on quickly, probably because we didn't have food for them to munch. They were so quick that this friendly man tempted this sweet girl in his hand so I could snap a picture.
The last treat Snoopy had in store for me on our final night in London was a go-around on the London Eye. A view from the top of the world! The capsules moved very slowly, so you had wonderful views over the Thames River. The best part was Snoopy planned it perfectly so that we went around the London Eye just as the sun began to set. As we climbed into our capsule, the lights of London were just being flipped on.
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| Parliament Building - at sunset |
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| London - view from London Eye |
London was as magical as it was modern, a place I could never forget. I think the best part was that I got to explore, get lost, wander and discover London with my favorite person!
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