Today was our first day in London. We took another express train to London from Canterbury. It was almost sad leaving Canterbury. The city was extraordinary and we had a great time. After we got back to London we hopped on the underground to Baker Street, where we got off and headed for Regent’s College. Regent’s College is where we are staying the rest of the trip. The rooms are nice and the building is beautiful. It is still snowing but it hasn’t detracted from the experience in the least. At least I know that the experience is once in a blue moon, as this type of snow only happens every so often. As I mentioned in a recent post the people we have talked to say that it hasn’t happened in thirty years.
After getting to Regent’s we ate dinner in the refectory (cafeteria), and headed off to explore the city. We jumped on a double-decker and toured the city for a few hours. We passed by Trafalgar Square, where Admiral Nelson stands on a tall column looking out towards the ocean, and is also home to the National Gallery, which we plan on touring later. We got off the bus at Westminster. It was one of the best views I have ever seen. One one side of the Thames sits the London Eye, the famous ferris wheel built to celebrate the millenium, and on the other side stands Parliament and Big Ben. We then walked across to Parliament Square and got an even better view of the building. We also say the Sovereign’s Entrance where the Queen of England enters when she comes to Parliament.
After Parliament we headed over to Westminster Abbey. We didn’t go in, but we were able to walk around the outside and take pictures. We then walked by the new Supreme Court building, which was built this summer, and on to St. Paul’s Cathedral. The Cathedral itself is beautiful, but we didn’t stay long, as there was a service which was about to start. We are headed back sometime this week to explore the historic church more thoroughly, it is a trip I look forward to greatly. We then headed to a rather interesting pub. Name the Ye Ole’ Watling, the pub is made from the left over timbers from St. Paul’s Cathedral. The food was good, but just the history was incredible. The pub itself is over 350 years old. It’s older than the United States!
We then headed back to Regent’s to write our families, and relax. After all the walking we did today, everyone needed a little break. It has been an amazing experience, and I wouldn’t trade the time in England for anything.
