London, Part IV: The Finale

This is the last London post, the grand finale!

On Friday morning I set out on my own!  Kaylyn stayed back at the hotel to do some homework, so I left around 11:00 am for the Banqueting House, the only surviving part of the Palace of Whitehall.  First I was directed into the undercroft to see a short film about this history of the Banqueting House.  Before it was the Palace of Whitehall, the area was known as York Place.  York Place was the home of Cardinal Wolsey, close companion of King Henry VIII.  Unsurprisingly, Cardinal Wolsey fell out of favor with the King, so Henry VIII commandeered York Place and renamed it Whitehall.  Later, Henry's daughter Elizabeth I built a grand banqueting hall in Whitehall, but it was a temporary structure.  The Banqueting House now stands on the spot where Elizabeth I's banqueting hall once stood.

Jump forward a few years to about 1630.  Charles I commissions extravagant paintings for the ceiling of the Banqueting House.  England is never short on irony, and the Banqueting House did not disappoint.  The extravagant paintings by Sir Peter Paul Rubens follow one common theme: the divine right and ultimate power of the monarchy.  Charles I, commissioner of these paintings, was later beheaded on a scaffold outside of the Banqueting House.  He had to walk underneath these works of art to get to the scaffold.  I guess his power wasn't so ultimate.

The Undercroft

Rubens's paintings on the ceiling

This throne sits in the same place where previous monarchs' thrones have sat, although I don't think previous monarchs like Charles I ever actually used this one.

From the Banqueting House, I went to 10 Downing Street, home of the Prime Minister.  Unlike the White House, which is set back away from the street, the Prime Minister's home is right up against the street in the middle of Westminster.  Therefore, the entirety of Downing Street is gated and protected by heavily armed guards.  I wasn't about to try to press my face up against the gates with the armed guards right next to me, so I wasn't able to actually see the famous black front door that cannot be opened from the outside.

Downing Street

Notice the guard with the giant gun standing just behind the gate.

This Women of World War II monument isn't far from Downing Street.

I was planning to head back to the hotel after seeing the Banqueting House and 10 Downing Street, but at the last minute I decided to stop off and see the Monument to the Great Fire of London in 1666.  I knew it would be close to the Monument tube stop, but I didn't realize quite how close it would be.  I walked out of the tube station and the Monument was just plopped right in the middle of the intersection!  It was something like 311 steps to the top, and the views were pretty nice, but somewhat soured by construction.

The view from the top of the Monument

I didn't realize it was 311 steps to the top, so I didn't pace myself.  About halfway up the Monument I thought I was going to keel over.

I just couldn't take the cold and rain anymore, so I stopped at a bar called The Fine Line to grab some coffee.

That night, Kaylyn and I stopped at The North Pole, a bar near our hotel in Greenwich.  I found a drink called the New Orleans Fizz and ordered it immediately!

A little piece of home!

I can't recall a time when I was more excited than I was when I woke up that next morning.  Kaylyn and I were going to Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, and Parliament!  I put on the new lacy black dress that I bought from Topshop before we left for London and we set off for Westminster Abbey!

Throwing up the Zeta Tau Alpha crown on Westminster Bridge.

I love this picture of Big Ben with the London Eye in the distance!  I also caught Kaylyn just across the street clutching her warm tea.  She managed to cross while I was still trying to get the perfect photo!  Thankfully, she let me hold her tea for a little while so that I could get some warmth and feeling back into my fingers!

I could've spent years in Westminster Abbey.  Over 3,000 people are buried there!  It's probably a good thing that photos aren't allowed, because I would've literally taken pictures of every nook and cranny.

My only previous knowledge of Westminster Abbey was what I saw when I woke up at the crack of dawn to watch the royal wedding in 2011.  It looked giant on television, but is is substantially larger in real life.  Westminster is cross-shaped, as the photo below shows.  The long side of the cross is the aisle that Kate Middleton walked during her wedding.  I can't believe I got to walk down that aisle!  The altar is in the center of the cross, and behind the altar are numerous smaller chapels where historical figures are buried.  One of these chapels, The Lady Chapel, is the resting place of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York (Henry VIII's parents).  On either side of the Lady Chapel are two smaller rooms.  In one room lies Elizabeth I and her sister, Bloody Mary.  Directly across the Lady Chapel lies Elizabeth I's rival, Mary Queen of Scots.

A birds-eye view of Westminster Abbey

Ornately carved arches on the outside of the Abbey

Westminster Abbey

Although I didn't to leave Westminster Abbey, Kaylyn and I were on a tight schedule!  Up next on the itinerary was a tour of the Palace of Westminster, also known as Parliament.  Fortunately, we were allowed to take photos in the initial hall where we met for the tour.

Kaylyn and I had the best tour guide!  She was just the cutest thing, and she kept saying "Right ho then!" every time it was time to move on to the next section of the tour.  One of the most interesting things our guide explained to us was the rituals used in Parliament.  During the State Opening of Parliament, after the Queen has processed into the House of Lords, an official called Black Rod is sent to fetch the Commons.  However, as he approaches, the doors the House of Commons are slammed in his face!  This action symbolizes the independence from the Monarchy that is enjoyed by the House of Commons.  Black Rod has to knock on the doors three times with his (yes, you guessed it) black rod before the doors are opened.  As our tour group walked through the doors to the House of Commons, we could see the damage that the black rod has done.  But, it isn't just the doors that have suffered damage.  The end of the black rod has started to crack.  Our guide explained that, as opposed to replacing the rod, the damaged end is just cut off.  This means that the rod is just going to get shorter and shorter before it is eventually replaced!

"This Tablet marks the spot where Charles Stuart King of England stood before the Court...for his trial."  Kaylyn and I stood on the spot where Charles I was sentenced to execution.

 Kaylyn and I then had afternoon tea at the Pugin Tea Room in the Palace of Westminster.  The tea and food was absolutely scrumptious, and we had a brilliant view of the River Thames.

The Pugin Tea Room

Kaylyn and I having afternoon tea

I'm so glad that this photo caught all of the delicious food!  The bottom tier held scones; the middle tier held (left to right) salmon and cream cheese, chicken, and mozzarella and pesto;  the top tier held dark chocolate brownies and cheesecake "shots."

Thank you to Kaylyn for this surprise photo

Part of the tea room's appeal was it's intimate feel!  There were only eleven or twelve tables.

The view across the Thames

After we were finished having tea, Kaylyn and I took the tube to the Victoria stop.  From there, it was only a short walk to Buckingham Palace!  We weren't allowed to take photos during the tour of the Palace's State Rooms, but I can easily show you, using some famous photos, the sights that we saw!  The tour started off with a flight of stairs containing a bannister made of gold.  While walking up the stairs, I rested my hand on a gold bannister that cost over $300,000.  I could hardly contain myself.  I could go on for ages about each of the ornate state rooms, so I'll jump ahead to those that I can show in photos.

Recognize this playful photo from the royal wedding of Prince Charles to Princess Diana?

What about this one, taken after the royal wedding in 2011?  Kaylyn and I got to stand in this room!

We also got to walk through the Picture Gallery.  It wasn't until we had gotten to the middle of the long hallway that our tour guide said something to the effect of "And this is where the wedding cake sat during the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's reception."

This photo shows the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge entering Buckingham Palace after their wedding.  This is also the place where Kaylyn and I exited once the tour was over!

Buckingham Palace

Buckingham Palace

The Victoria Memorial outside of Buckingham Palace

The tour also took us through a hall that was being set up for an upcoming event that was to be held by Prince Charles.  We finished off the tour with a glass of champagne in the Grand Entrance Hall.  All in all, it was a pretty phenomenal day.  But, not wanting such a posh day to end, Kaylyn and I finished off the night with dinner at T.G.I.Friday's.

The next afternoon, we caught the train back to Manchester, but not before stopping at the Platform 9¾ Shop in King's Cross Station.  I bought a copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, a Hogwart's Express Train ticket, a chocolate frog, and a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans (which are not, by the way, for the faint of heart).

I couldn't have asked for a better first trip to London.  I can't wait to go back!