May 17, 2018
We started our day at Lambeth Palace Gardens. Evans had seen a television show about a discovery made in a deconsecrated church that was now a museum. Under the floor, they discovered the “lost” bones of 5 Archbishops of Canterbury. It is not unusual to find that people have been buried in a crypt under a church, but these misplaced Archbishops were a pretty big deal.
Another interesting feature at this church was an immersion baptismal font. I wish my mother could see the pictures to show her that some Episcopal churches actually did dunk their members. She would have liked that.
As it happens, the site is now a gardening museum, with some beautiful gardens of its own. We also climbed the 131 (tiny, narrow, stone, winding) steps to the top of the tower which gave us a breathtaking view of the River Thames. Or perhaps our breath was taken by the steps, either way we were breathless. Yes, Langley, climbing those steps felt exactly like being in an episode of Midsomer Murders. I kept waiting for some insane, incestuous priest to come racing down the steps and plunge us to our doom. Obviously that did not happen and we got some great pictures.
We then went to meet James, our tall and entertaining guide, at St. Paul’s Cathedral. We were an hour early so we wandered into Paternoster square which was filled with Londoners enjoying the sunshine in bright purple beach chairs, playing a giant game of Jenna, or playing at one of several ping-pong tables. That is surrounded by the London stock exchange and it was packed with sun-seekers and people enjoying some entertainment on their lunch hour.
The cathedral was extremely impressive. I especially enjoyed the carvings and memorial to the American war dead found behind the altar. There is a huge book that has the name of every American who sacrificed his or her life. They turn the page so that a new page is shown each day. It takes longer than a year to go through the whole book.
We could not take pictures inside. Even though it is a national treasure filled with memorials to both individuals and groups who have made a difference in the history of England, it was still a church and you could feel God’s presence in His house. The stories about the bombs that hit the church and did minor damage and the huge bomb that hit the church but did NOT explode during the blitz are perfect testaments to divine intervention. That is the only way St. Paul’s was not destroyed during the blitz. I did notice that the only women interred or honored within St. Paul’s are the wives or children of the men being honored. Perhaps that will change.
From there we took the Underground to Kensington Palace. The gardens are glorious and huge. The Kensington Palace Gardens run into Hyde Park making for a huge expanse of green space in the middle of London. After the might of Windsor and the majesty of Blenheim, Kensington seemed more like a really big, really old house, but it has a heck of an address not to mention an amazing yard. We toured the public rooms where King George and Queen Anne lived and, later, Princess Victoria grew up (basically as a poor relation in borrowed rooms), until she became the queen.
Among the cooler features was a dial that is attached to a weather vane so the people inside could always tell what way the wind was blowing. There was a giant musical clock that played Handel (or did when it was made). In one of the drawing rooms, there were shadows on the wall that began to dance. It took me a minute to realize that it was an optical illusion or technology at work as opposed to ghosts of 18th century courtiers frolicking about.
Another smart feature was the windows in one of the grand rooms. They are subtly frosted on the right side. The panes on the left are clear, but as you look to the right you realize that the glass is frosted. That is so you can see the view straight forward to take in the expanse of the public gardens, but you can’ see into the private gardens of Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge, which you could easily see without the frosting.
Also, our guide was thrilled that we had gone to Kensington as late as we did. We were often the only people in each room and had all the time we wanted to look at things, ask questions and take pictures. He said it was often wall to wall people, but not today.
On exhibit at Kensington were several of Princess Diana’s most iconic dresses. Even in the sartorially awkward early 1980s she managed to make quite a statement. It was interesting to see how her confidence grew and her style evolved over the course of her short life. She and Prince Charles had only met 13 times before their marriage, and she was wearing borrowed clothes at almost every meeting. That puts so much into perspective.
Bill Shell gets special credit because Evans walked miles today and climbed more stairs than he has climbed in months, maybe even years. (For the record it was his idea to climb to the top of the tower at Lambeth).
Following Kensington, and convinced we could not get any more tired, we took a bus to Harrods. The first floor made Saks Fifth Avenue look like a TJ Maxx, but when we finally found our way through the jewels and Birkin Bags, we found some fun souvenirs on the second floor.
Finally we took a taxi back to the hotel, changed shoes, and went out for Indian food. Yes, I am a good sport. I ate Indian food and did not die.
Tomorrow is even more packed that today. I thought five days in London would be too much, but we have barely scratched the surface. You could be here a year and try to tour and visit and see everything and still not be able to do it all. We will just have to come back.