Westminster Abbey

I started my morning packing my bags and preparing for my trip to Edinburgh. I also had a long Skype chat with Damian which always puts me in a good mood! I planned to spend the afternoon in London and go straight to the bus stop later in the night to avoid coming home and going back into the city again, so I set off with my backpack and headed toward Greenwich. With my London Pass I was able to get a River Boat to Westminster. Today was not as wet, windy or cold as the last two days so I'm glad I put off the river cruise until then! It was a beautiful and relaxing hour trip into the city.

There I wondered around Westminster Abbey for some time. It is a truly beautiful and fascinating place. I did the Audio tour (I'm beginning to get fond of them!) so I was able to explore at my own pace and still learn a whole bunch of history and details that I would otherwise not have known. Many of the places in the Abbey are camera free, so I didn't take many shots of inside. I did however capture this one which I was quite happy with.

The present church, begun by Henry III in 1245, is one of the most important Gothic buildings in the country. A treasure house of paintings, stained glass, pavements, textiles and other artefacts, Westminster Abbey is also the place where some of the most significant people in the nation's history are buried or commemorated.

Not only does this place hold monarchs of ancient times and stories, but is the setting for incredibly recent history such as The Queen Mother's funeral and The Royal Wedding. You would be amazed at the list of famous people who have been buried or commemorated at the Abbey.

I visited The Monument to the Great Fire of London in 1666, and climbed the 311 stairs to the top where I was rewarded with 360 degree views of the city. It is famously said that the Great Fire in 1666 began in a baker’s house in Pudding Lane. However the Beefeater who gave us the tour at the Tower of London suggested it was started by the government in order to rid the city of The Plague which hit London in 1665. I tend to agree!

After dinner and a movie to kill some time, I headed to Victoria Coach Station to catch my bus to Edinburgh at 11pm.