After eating we saw the Hall of Commonwealth Flags:
The Commonwealth is an organization of nations that were once a part of the British Empire that cooperate in trade and several other non-political ventures.
And just in case you're under the impression that the British Empire was small, here's a list of SOME of the countries in the Commonwealth:
Sri Lanka
New Zealand
Grenada
Ghana
Pakistan
Bangledesh
Tanzania
Sierra Leone
South Africa
Mozambique
Canada
The Bahamas
Maldives
Jamaica
Singapore
Malaysia
Trinidad
New Guinea
Malta
Belize
Nigeria
Botswana
Uganda
The Grenadines
Barbados
Kenya
Australia
India
Impressive, no?
Oh, and here I am with Winston Churchill.
He has many famous quotes. Enough to fill a whole afternoon with enjoyable reading.
I'll give you only one here though:
"From now on, ending a sentence with a preposition is something up with which I shall not put."
Aww yiss.
After a lesson in British Imperial history and sarcastic grammar,
we walked to Westminster Abbey...
which was literally across the street.
Talk about convenience!
How mindblowingly gorgeous is this place? Amazing! Just think of the hours of work and sheer amount of manpower it took to create this building. It's a marvel.
One for the scrapbook, Mom!
In keeping with our church tourism, the girls insisted that I see St. Paul's Cathedral.
Upon seeing these, Kate said,
"I don't think those doors are quite big enough."
To give a scale of size:
Three very tall men could have stood on each other's shoulders in the doorway!
We went during the Sunday service (Yes, it's still a normal, functioning church with weekly worship services. How awesome is that?), so they unfortunately did not allow any kind of photography inside; but admission was free! Otherwise, it would have been 15 pounds to get in and tour the cathedral. The second I walked in the doors, I knew that without a doubt I'd pay whatever they were charging to see this place again.
Many of you might remember my post on Stonehenge (and if not, go check it out! Warning: It's a tearjerker!), and the exact same emotions overcame me in St. Paul's Cathedral. It was unfathomably beautiful in some otherworldly way. It absolutely CANNOT be described in words. I promise that when I go back, I'll go when I can take photos and post every inch of that place!
I had heard that it was beautiful, but I was nowhere near prepared for how overwhelmingly beautiful it was.
Everything is solid gold and polished black and white marble. The ceiling is a perfect parabolic dome that resonates sound to your ears like a choir of angels. During the service, the boys choir sang their Latin hymns. People who know me best know that one of my absolute favorite things (especially at Christmastime) is the Vienna Boys Choir. Well... these boys put them to shame!
I cried like a baby listening to their harmonies echoing through the cathedral coupled with the deep booms of the organ. I felt like I couldn't make my eyes wide enough to take everything in.
This will sound very corny to some of you, but it's the only way I can describe how I felt:
I don't consider myself a highly religious person.
I have an understanding of God that brings me happiness and peace though it's never been a big part of my life.
However, I can tell you with absolute certainty that I felt closer to God standing in that building than I ever have in my life.
And again, my thoughts went to my parents.
Mom, Dad...
I need you to see the things that I have seen.
I cannot explain why. It cannot be articulated.
One more thing:
Thank you!
To Be Continued!
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