John suggested today that we have tea at St. Paul's Cathedral. Fine with me! Who could refuse an invitation like that! However, you can't fill a day with tea at a church! So we decided that we would visit Apsley House first. This magnificent home is in central London and is the home of the dukes of Wellington. The first duke who built this house was the one who defeated Napoleon at Waterloo. Obviously, he was a revered man and so many countries were incredibly grateful to him and Britain for defeating Napoleon. The house was filled with indescribable sets of china and silver statues and settings from grateful kings and prime ministers. Also, his collection of art filled gallery and room after room. The house itself was decorated in the manner Wellington had requested - walls that were covered with silk fabrics and gilded frames and cornices.
One of the most remarkable things in the house was the way the windows were designed to keep the symmetry on the outside of the house. When the house was expanded in the late 1800s, the current duke wanted to keep the exterior symmetrical, so the windows inside had panels set into them that after the inside shutters were closed, a panel that was hidden inside the walls like pocket doors slid across the window. However, these doors were gilded mirrors and made the windows inside look like the rest of the mirrors in the house instead of like windows! Remarkable and, obviously, hard to explain. And because we weren't allowed to take pictures, John only managed to sneak in one and that was of the dining room and it's magnificent chandelier.
Oh, when I pulled up that picture I found one other John snuck in and that a naked statue of Napoleon that was given to Wellington after the war. Napoleon had commissioned it but didn't like it so it was stored in the bottom of the Louvre. Someone remembered it was down there and awarded it to Wellington. I think that's the best - having a naked statue of your defeated enemy surrounded by your personal grand staircase!
My husband is not a great fan of touring the great houses but he was really impressed with this one. As an engineer, those windows really got his attention! The guy in the staircase got mine!!
From there we grabbed another bus to get us to St. Patrick's. The buses are such fun. If you can get up on the top and preferably in the front seats, you're in for a great ride - especially when it goes around the corners!
We were early for our 4:00 tea reservation so we decided to walk across the Millennium Bridge. This is a bridge only for walkers and it goes across the Thames from St. Paul's to the Globe Theater. When John, Jesse and I crossed it several years ago, the wind was so strong that it blew the eyeglasses off several people's faces! Today it was quite mild and of course, the view was wonderful down the Thames.
There was a tour boat going under the bridge and there were four girls waving frantically to us up on the bridge. I noticed no one was waving back so I started waving back. They spotted me and started waving harder so I squatted down below the railing so they could see me for a second or two longer. I went over to the other side of the bridge and watched the boat come out from under and the girls were looking straight ahead with their backs to me. Suddenly, as if they realized I might still be there, they all turned around, spotted me and started waving enthusiastically again. Of course, I responded! It was a fun human connection.
John and I went in to St. Paul's for tea. The restaurant is downstairs in the cloister area. He had scones with clotted cream and rasberry jam and I had almond and apple cake. These English - they really know what's good. Tea is a great excuse to have a "sweet" late afternoon to tide you over to dinner.
Then we went to 5:00 Evensong. Like in Oxford, the boys choir sounded angelic especially with the acoustics of the cathedral. Of course, we took no pictures during the service.
After Evensong, we left and walked many blocks to The George, another pub. This one was founded in 1723 and is across the street from the fabulous architecture of the Royal Courts of Justice. It's a beautiful old pub but was redecorated in the late 1800's in a more Victorian look so you don't get the full effect of it's age. The bus we took home this time took us right by the London Eye, Big Ben, Parliament, and St. Margaret's. We weren't expecting a bird's eye view of some of the most beautiful sights in London but we sure got them!
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