Day 7- London, England

Wednesday, January 1, 2014

Today was the first day of the New Year.  We woke up early, had another royal breakfast and started our day with a view from the sky on The London Eye. We got there early and had no wait as we were able to see city in a new way.  We had wonderful views of Big Ben, Parliament, The Royal Horseguards, and Buckingham Palace.

Once we completed our tour in the sky, we headed to Westminster Abbey . Westminster Abbey was founded in 960 and is much more than a church. The Abbey is a shine to tombs of kings and queens, it has been the setting for every Coronation since 1066 and known for 16 royal weddings, especially the wedding of Prince William and Princess Kate in 2011.  We decided to take a verger tour of the church, which I would highly recommend if you want to go in the future. Our verger was actually the head verger of Kate and William's wedding as he led in the priest and sat to the left on the alter as they were married. He was so knowledgeable with regard to every aspect of the church and led us into rooms that were blocked off to others. The beauty of the church and the massive light fixtures that were handcrafted Waterford crystal, which were gifted from the Guiness family, were indescribable. The most amazing thing to witness was the tombs of Queen Elizabeth, I , Sir Isaac Newton, Charles Dickens, and Handle. However, the best part of the tour was being able to walk down the long aisle that Kate herself walked down.

{ Since you cannot take pictures, I had to take this from the internet}

  

{Side entrance of the church}

{ Martin Luther King, Jr. was added to the entrance in 1998}

{Very cold- Very wet}

{Quick change before dinner since we were soaked from the rain}