My trip began with an uneventful subway ride across (under?) The Thames, and to the station of Southwark. There, I walked to my first stop, The Globe Theatre. This is in fact the third Globe Theatre, as the first was burned down during a performance and the second was torn down during a civil war. The current one is a rebuilt version, with all the same designs as its predecessors. That includes the thatch roof (which is in fact banned in England. This is the only one as a result of their likelihood of fire...) and the wooden joints being fastened by wooden pegs.
My timing could hardly have been better. I purchased my entrance ticket at about 11:28 and was then admitted into the 11:30 tour. We were taken outside the theatre building where we were told a bit about the history of the buildings construction. Here, the tiled stone ground is inscribed on each tile with the name of a patron who had donated at least 300 pounds. Among the names I found was Paul Newman, which I enjoyed as we share an alma matter. This is when/where I learned about those few architectural facts I had previously mentioned.
We then went inside where we were expecting to only get a few views, but no pictures or lectures because the theatre currently has ongoing reversals of a modern-dressed production of Macbeth. We were fortunate however, in that the reversal was not in session, so we could both talk and take photos. It was a very simple theatre, with 3 floors of seating in a simple circle. The stage was circular, jutting out from one wall, with a small extension in the front. The plays are/were preformed in daylight, so there is no lighting and as was the case in Shakespeare's time, the performances are done without sets (a sad fact for us set builders...). However, the theatre was also very small, which meant that every seat had a good view and you were always close to the action.
After my visit to the globe theatre, I mingled in the shop and got myself a blueberry muffin and a coffee. It was fine. The muffin was a bit odd with a sort of jelly in its center... but still good. From there I headed out of the theatre towards the river, where I found the Millennium Bridge. I think, I would normally have found this walking bridge pretty cool. However, I'm still a bit hooked on that helix bridge in Singapore and saw this as a "lesser version". That said, it was still a cool design. Looking east off of the bridge I could see the London Tower Bridge, which has always been my favorite of the London sites. Unfortunately, the weather was a bit hazy and the bridge was far away so the view was subpar. That said, as I looks towards the end of the bridge I found myself looking down an alleyway to the foot of St. Paul's Cathedral, and that was an impressive view. That, brings me to my next site of the cathedral itself.
Now, I realize that I have in the past criticized cathedrals, saying that before long they all look the same. Perhaps its because its been a long time since I've seen one, or St. Paul's is really impressive, but no trip to London will be complete have you not seen it. It's massive blue domed top can be seen from everywhere around the city. Inside, it is absolutely beautiful. High vaulted ceilings with the ground level decorated by the occasional memorial or tomb. The baptism fountain at the entrance is carved from a single piece of blue marble. The easter end is where the quire is located. Here, the seats are rowed benches carved ornately out of wood. The ceiling, still arched is decorated by glass mosaics. My favorite displaying different animals around the base. The end of this hallway is the home of the grand altar, and behind it is the a chapel dedicated to the American Soldiers who lost their lives in Britain during the second world war.
The heart of the cathedral is clearly its domed center. From the ground, the peak of St. Paul's dome reaches 365 feet above the floor. It is not coincidence that this is the number of days in a year, but an intentional measurements of the original architect in an attempt to combine science and religion. The dome itself is twofold. The dome is really designed as 2 domes nested inside each other. From inside a person looks up into a smaller domed ceiling, that is of a size to proportionally fit the interior of the cathedral. This dome is known as the Whispering Gallery. Encasing this inner dome is the blue dome seen from outside. The architect felt that the smaller dome made the outside of the cathedral feel disproportioned so he encased it with this larger exterior. This way, the cathedral seemed perfectly in proportion both inside and out.
Aside from the ground floor of the cathedral, one can go both high and low. I began with a trip up to the higher galleries. First to the Whispering Gallery where I could look down to the cathedral floor. Then I continued upwards to the various levels of the roof. At the top I had tremendous 360 degree views of the city. It was quite beautiful. Should you attempt this, do be aware, there are z lot of stairs and there are some very narrow points. They do warn you of this and they are not exaggerating. I then headed into the basement where the crypt is. This is a very somber place, and not just for the burials located here. The most powerful tomb is that of Duke Wellington, a simple garnet casket with exceedingly few decorations. This, and the room around it are decorated by the flags of those allied with the duke during times of war. The crypt is very much a war memorial and the simplicity of this particular tomb makes it very humbling. So yeah... from one who does not always speak highly of seeing cathedrals, I speak highly of this one.
I then walked east along the river, which was very pretty. I would gradually approach the tower bridge, but continued to be unsatisfied with my pictures, thinking they would keep getting better as I got closer. Turns out, when you reach the bridge it becomes very difficult to take pictures of the entire bridge. Luckily I had some good views later. En route I passed the London Tower. I was getting a bit tired at this point and opted to not tour the inside. I did however walk the perimeter and it is...well... a castle/fort. It definitely looks the part. From there I headed out onto the tower bridge, which I do not recall walking on my previous visits to London. From the bridge you get a very different, but still pretty spectacular view of the towers.
At the end of the bridge I turned west and headed back up the bank towards the subway station. Along the way I walked along the coast. This walk is when the skies cleared for the sun and I got some great views of the Tower Bridge. My walk took me along the HMS Belfast... which is... well... a battleship. It looks cool, but is what you'd expect, so nothing too fantastic. I then turned from the coast and when I reached the main street found myself in front of the London Dungeon. That brought back another set of fond memories from my first trip to this country. It was then a short last bit of walking to the station.
I returned to the flat where my laundry was still drying. I eventually had it finish and folded it. Other than that, I made another batch of burgers for dinner and Margaret and I continued to eat our way through our blue cheese. Oh, how I do love that stuff. Anyway, tomorrow I head to Oxford, but today had some good sites.
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