Day 26 VCUK-4 Jul 2019

Happy 4th from London!

I woke up early and went to westminster abbey.

We had a free day today because our schedule got cancelled on us.

I had to wait online for West Minster but it went pretty fast. It was expensive but pretty and there was an audio tour. I wish it talked more about all the statue tombs. There were a lot of figurine statues on top of the box tombs and it was very ornate and interesting. I'm bummed we couldn't take photos. Some of the statues were funny because they were posed sideways with one hand on their head propping them up and I thought it was hillariousss. The church has a gorgeous nave with a huge wooden thingy. Then past it is the other part of the nave which has the main altar with the wooden seats on either side which is where the queen sits and where Kate and Will got married. Then there was the lady's chapel behind the whole thing which had a gorgeous fan vaulted arch cieling even fancier than Bath Abbey. That area had the wooden seats on the sides too. It also had a side chapel burial tomb on Mary and Elizabeth in the same tomb but there was only one statue of a woman on top and I wonder why. There were a lot of pretty accordion stained glass in the back too. Although some of it was newer because the windows blew out in WWII. Then there was a pretty courtyard that smelled like mowed grass and another side chapel that was circular and gorgeous and hugeee and empty. Then there was the coronation chair to look at.

Then I got really cheap tea! It was only a pound!

Then I walked around the area. You cannot visit Parliament I discovered.

Then I walked through Horse Guards and happened to see the horse changing of the guards and then there was 12 horses chilling out in the main courtyard which was strange and apparently they sit there all day and trade off every hour at changing of the guard. I walked down to Buckingham and watched the changing of the guards but not the actual part in front of the palace just the part where they walk on the street. The horses go down and then come back out and then the red jackets with the black hats play as a band and walk down to the other building.

Then I went to Picadilly but Anthony cancelled on me so were gonna hang out on Sunday instead and then I went to St Pauls. It was super cool but also expensive. I honestly should've looked into getting a tourist pass or something. St Pauls is HUGEEEEE. The cielings are so pretty and mosaic and it has a huge dome. It also has the wooden sideways chairs. It was really pretty and also Roman baroque style which is different for this trip. It also had a very thorough audio tour which was nice and even talked about architecture. The dome itself is wild. It has the dome you see inside with the little tiny dome thing on top of it and then structurally it has a cone shaped dome outside it and then another dome which is the dome you see from the outside. I climbed the whole thing which was terrifying and awful but nice views. I love climbing things. There were 3 levels but only 2 were open. The first level was a pretty large viewing level and then you climb really steep scary stairs and then you can look in to a whole in the top of the dome and look down and then you're on the very top and its a really small little circle to walk around.

Then I went down to the crypt which had another little chapel and then I got lunch in the crypt! It was aight. I had a salad with feta, beet, and squash and iced tea. The iced tea was horrible! It had a lot of lemon and also some sorta spice maybe nutmeg.

Then I went back to Trafalgar Square and went to the National Portrait Gallery but I actually went in the National Gallery so I looked at Van Gogh and then went to the National Portrait Gallery next door. The National Portrait Gallery was also expensive but the Cindy Sherman exhibit was amazinggggg. She's a photographer who exclusively shoots herself in costumes and sets up scenes about characters. I really like her series of "movie" shots that are mimicking the male gaze and show a female in distress or glamour in nyc and california. She's also done ones that are fairy tale themed and historical portrait themed and ones about characters and the media's depiction of women in hollywood and flappers.

There were also all the royal family portraits. I recognized some of them. I looked for the dead king one (apparently a king invaded london and ruled for one day but then was beheaded and they stitched his head back on to do a portrait cause all royals of england need a portrait) that they told me about at the Tower of London but the staff said that was a lie.

Then I went back to the flat and facetimed home and had ravioli for dinner. The family is all at Nana and Poppy's for the 4th. I miss the cake. I think I'll make it with Sophia, Nathan, and Lu when I get back.

I hung out in Radish's flat all afternoon and we watched RuPaul and then love island and drank.