Lachrymose in London - Part II
St Paul's Cathedral and Victoria and Albert Museum days
On the third day in London, my fortune sent to me, 528 steps to the Golden Gallery!
A Visit to St Paul’s Cathedral
But first, of course, I had to stand in line to enter St. Paul’s Cathedral, even though I arrived before my earliest admission time, 10 AM. While in line, I did have a chance to admire the Temple Bar Gate, also designed by Christopher Wren, the architect of St. Paul’s, which is right across the street:
Entering St. Paul’s:
Right off the bat, magnificent details everywhere you turn:
Baptismal font area.
Sculptures abound, mainly to commemorate British military and naval heroes like this:
Or this:
Or this:
Well, at least this guy I know of!
The entire main floor is very impressive:
Look at this mosaic!
Or this:
How about this gate:
Look at these details:
High Altar:
In the apse, there is a chapel dedicated to the American soldiers who served and died to protect Britain:
On display is the roll of honor to the American soldiers who sacrificed their lives in the war:
The choir section is quite a sight:
But, of course, I couldn’t be satisfied with just investigating the main floor. The “popish dome” beckoned! Especially since I could see its soaring height from the floor:
Nave ceiling to the dome:
Cathedral dome perspective:
The way to the top is divided into three parts:
The Whispering Gallery is 257 steps from the cathedral floor.
The Stone Gallery is 376 steps from the cathedral floor (an additional 119 steps from the Whispering Gallery).
Here’s what the Stone Gallery looks like:
And it does afford some lovely views looking across:
and looking down:
The Golden Gallery is 528 steps from the cathedral floor (an additional 152 steps from the Stone Gallery).
“Located 85 meters (280 feet) above the floor, this is the highest accessible point, a narrow external walkway around the dome’s apex, offering panoramic views of London. The final ascent involves steep, narrow iron spiral staircases, which can be challenging for those with mobility issues or a fear of heights.”
No kidding! Look at this staircase:
It’s more proper to call it a catwalk!
And look at the warning you get before stepping out onto the Golden Gallery:
The winds will take away all “loose items”!
But the views are worth it!
You can see the top of the dome:
You can see London for miles and miles…
You can see gardens grown on top of buildings!
You can see the new London:
, as well as the old:
It is pretty darn amazing:
Back down, I also had to visit “The Crypt” – more stairs, this time 30 steps down (and then up again, of course!)
Of particular interest to me was this chapel:
, reserved for the members of the Order of the British Empire (I read so much about it!).
It has the etching of my favorite queen:
I didn’t capture a photo of Wren’s (St. Paul’s architect) modest tomb, but I appreciated his epitaph: "Si monumentum requiris, circumspice." (If you seek his monument, look around.) Very classy!
On the way back, I had “linner” (or is it “dunch”?) in this charming establishment:
The George was as quaint inside as it was outside:
I was on the early side; it did fill up by the time I was done. I had two appetizers instead of a main dish. One was especially memorable: baked camembert with an exceptionally delicious sourdough loaf and absolutely incredible cranberry dip, sweet and spicy at the same time.
I asked the bartender to choose a beer to accompany my meal, and he gave me a phenomenally delicious red beer; unfortunately, I don’t have the receipt with me, so I can’t tell you what it was. (I’ll amend this post when I am reunited with the luggage I left in Paris to include the name.)
Victoria and Albert Museum
I was eager to see the Victoria and Albert Museum; it was described as unlike any other museum in the world; after visiting it, I agree.
My first surprise was the entry. I walked into the museum directly from the subway tunnel connecting the station to the museum. No lobby, nothing – you just walk through the door (the admission is free), and you are in a room full of museum displays, not much different from this room:
The transition is just as disorienting!
This, by the way, is
And that is the genesis of this museum. It was made to inspire British designers. Prince Albert envisioned it as “a tool to improve British manufacturing and public taste, promoting practical education through objects of beauty and utility.”
It attempts to collect elements of design from all perspectives; as such, it gathers furniture, all kinds of decorations, ceramics, textiles, and anything else its curators think may inform and elevate the British design scene. Very eclectic.
While some “exhibits” are understandable from that perspective:
, there is a gallery of statues whose connection with “design” seems more tenuous (at least to me). They are, nevertheless, objets d'art in their own right:
Auguste Rodin, Portrait of Honoré de Balzac, 1891.
Antonio Canova, Theseus and the Minotaur, 1782.
But elsewhere, there are these… sculptures? figurines?… that seem quite bizarre:
and
On the other hand, I wouldn’t mind having this as my “music room,”
, as, apparently, it was in this house:
I also visited the extensive gems collection, where I saw these stunners:
The main V&A entryway was memorable as well:
, although somewhat mystifying (what the heck is that hanging from the dome?)
I left the museum a bit perplexed – what exactly had I seen?
The London Underground
I took the “tube” to the museum and back, and that experience certainly exceeded my expectations. First of all, to go through the turnstile, all you need is a credit card. No tokens, no tickets, no special cards (although there are some discount cards for purchase at the stations). All you do is tap your credit card and go in. On the way out – tap again! No calculations, no guesses which “zone” you are in – the system does it all for you. So easy! Why doesn’t every system in the world do it???
Secondly, the signage is terrific. Every platform, every direction, is clearly marked, all the way from the entrance to the platform and back. In the event, I simply followed the “V&A” signs to get right into the museum!
Thirdly, the trains are nowhere near as loud as their Gotham counterparts. No screeching, no thumping; and the ride is a lot smoother than the NYC subway.
The seats are covered with cloth pillows, and they are not slashed or ripped! Amazing.
Plus, the trains arrive every couple of minutes or so, also clearly marked on big displays.
I am officially a fan of the tube!
London Streets and Buildings
Since this post is shorter, I’ll add my overall impressions of London, its streets, and its buildings.
The first thing walking through London did was turn me into a child again. I remember being six or seven years old and waiting for other people to cross the street before I would cross more confidently with them. Well, with the cars driving on the “wrong” side of the street and coming from unfamiliar directions all over, I found myself using the same reliable stratagem! It took me a while to notice that most crossings had these large signs painted right on the pavement, for American tourists no doubt:
Duh!
The main thrill, for me, was just walking down the streets and across plazas I read about or saw in the movies:
Trafalgar Square!!! The setting for Mary Poppins, Skyfall, Edge of Tomorrow, and even Harry Potter (and the Deathly Hallows Part 2). Not to mention so many novels.
Piccadilly Circus, the setting for Dracula (the novel) and The Picture of Dorian Gray, as well as Bridget Jones’s Diary, Austin Powers, and, yes, Harry Potter (and the Deathly Hallows, part 1).
Regent Street, where Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson investigated the theft of the precious “Blue Carbuncle” from the Countess of Morcar’s hotel room, and the setting for Love, Actually, and The King’s Speech.
And look at the signboard on the left – it mentions the famed Savile Row, where true gentlemen get their suits, and Bond Street, mentioned in Sense and Sensibility and The Forsyte Saga.
This brought back memories of “A Tale of Two Cities” and many other Dickens’ novels!
The demon barber must be nearby!
The Strand! So many memories – Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, countless Sherlock Holmes stories, The Woman in White, Dickens novels, The Picture of Dorian Gray, and Skyfall and The Imitation Game movies.
The Life Guards. It must be so hard for those guys to remain motionless – especially on a horse! – and especially in a crowd like this!
Whoa! He has his sword out! I wonder what he saw… (Hopefully, not me taking his picture!😨)
Whitehall! George Smiley must be nearby, contemplating, polishing his glasses on the fat end of his tie…
Are there any English detective novels that don’t involve Scotland Yard?? (Rhetorical question – yes, I remember Miss Marple, Hercule Poirot, and Father Brown)
I texted my girls when I found myself walking down
Do they know the muffin man? The muffin man?? THE MUFFIN MAN!!!
(Shrek reference for those not in the know)
The sainted Sir Neville Marriner and his Academy. I will attend a concert at that church the next day, just to pay him homage.
And look at these random buildings that just caught my attention walking along London streets:
Loved this sign: (I think my kids can relate!)
More great buildings:
Beauty everywhere you turn! That's Olde London for you.
Overall, I found London to be cleaner, safer, and even more bustling than I expected. It almost matches New York City energy levels!
Unfortunately, there was one aspect of it that I did not appreciate… but that's a story for the next post.