Day 4: From the Buried to the Bard

Zac and I stepped out of the Tube this morning to this beautiful, iconic sight:

We were on our way to Westminster Abbey for the 10:00 tour.

(The church seems to have been leaning a little bit to the right at this moment. Something about keeping up with that church at Pisa.)

The pic above shows the famous west entrance used for state events, including Diana's funeral.

We entered through the north entrance, depicted below.

We were met inside by a man who informed us, in hushed and reverent tones, that although we purchased a ticket to get inside the building for a tour, we had not actually purchased the tour itself. The pronouncement sounded odd, but he sounded sincere, so we handed over another £10. (Yes, the dead are pricey these days, but the £10 pounds for a guided tour was a fantastic investment.)

The Westminster Abbey tour humbled me. I left feeling very small, wanting to live a life filled with meaning -- a life of consequence. The tour made me want to be a better man.

The floors and walls were lined with names of politicians, statesmen, soldiers, and poets (including C. S. Lewis). However, I was inspired by a plaque dedicated to a plumber at the Abbey, a man who labored faithfully for decades. There are so many fascinating stories. 

We honored the request of the verger and did not take any photographs. 

The edifice above is Saint Margaret's, a sanctuary frequented by many members of the House of Commons. It is all part of the Westminster Abbey property.

I learned that the Abbey houses 40 boys, ages 8 to 13. They board at the Abbey and are educated in the Westminster Academy. They are on scholarship to sing in eight services a week. In return, the Abbey pays for the boys' education.

For lunch, Zac and I went to a restaurant called Beigal  Bake. I am not sure I would have gone had I known what the area of town looked like. The restaurant was in the Shoreditch  area, the same area where Shakespeare opened his first theater. Zac referred to the area as being "artsy," a very generous description.

We both had bagels with salt beef, mustard, and sweet pickles. I chose it because the guy in front of me made that order. It was absolutely wonderful! I would have taken a picture of the sandwich except that I was afraid to take out my cell phone.

My sandwich looked very much like the sandwich in the picture below that I found online. I know it doesn't look very appetizing, but in that neighborhood, it was the best looking thing that I had seen in blocks. I do not see any pickles on this sandwich, but one can get the idea anyway.

From Shoreditch we walked over to the London Bridge. What an interesting bridge and landmark.

One section of the top part of the bridge has glass flooring as you can see in this picture.






Our final big stop of the day was at the Globe Theatre. The entire setting is simply magical, from the walking path beside the Thames River to the intricate little warren of streets adjacent to the Globe itself. Tonight's performance was a rendition of Much Ado about Nothing.

It was simply fantastic!

I really enjoyed the theater itself, because it is open air. One can be sitting inside the theater and see the skyscrapers in the background. The people in the pit paid £5 for the privilege of standing for the entire performance, but the performers actually walked among the spectators on many occasions.

We have had another wonderful day today! 

Tomorrow we plan to go to the British Museum and to take in St Paul's Cathedral. If time permits, I want to visit Shakespeare's church at St. Helen's Bishopsgate.

Tonight I am reminded of Longfellow's words: 

"Lives of great men all remind us

We can make our lives sublime. 

And, departing, leave behind us 

Footprints in the sand of time."

One step at a time!