We got a good sleep and then headed back into London to meet Mike and Deb. They were already riding the Hop-On Hop-Off so we asked them to estimate their location one hour hence. Westminster Abbey was the decided upon meeting place. I promptly typed in Westminster Cathedral into Uber and off we went. Unfortunately, Westminster Cathedral is a 12 minute walk to Westminster Abbey so we called Mike and Deb and got it all arranged then some speed walking and we arrived. the Abbey is a spectacular place and it makes the St George Chapel in Windsor look so very tiny. There are 30 some kings and queens buried here, we may have seen a dozen.
On the ride in we saw this coach
An Afternoon tea and a bus tour
One delightful building that escaped redevelopment
Where are Mike and Deb?
Big Ben is off in the distance
So many windows
Grand Entrance
A sundial
The checkpoint was easy but we ordered tickets online while we were in the line
Dragon!
Deb and Dragon
The windows were gigantic
So many notables have been memorialized here
So much to keep track of!
Marble statues everywhere, different genres and times are mixed up
Rows of stained glass
The long nap
A very ornate stone inlayed with brass is getting well worn on the floor
Chubby Cherubs
The service has concluded
Monsters and mustaches
One serious memorial
We tour continues through the center door
So many well dressed men
Delicate looking chandeliers
A view from the knaves
The knaves were open air and surrounded a courtyard
The whole world
Veri important pews
New Zealand and South Africa
One immense wing
One large round window in each direction
Wowzers
The center ceiling
Way down to the front
So much marble
An odd brass inlay
A ship in the ice?
That skirt is very strong
Swooping down
The detail of this piece!
Armor on top, four men holding up the lid and then a couple in repose below
A helping hand
Another huge multi-person tomb
The amazing details on the ruffs and the hair
Death getting in a cheap shot
Some surprisingly good hair for the times
This takes the cake
No stained glass here
Royals
Tiny support team
Some side rooms were better than others
The big three
Next to Elizabeth I's tomb was this little one
For the little one
To the left
Down the middle
To the right
The rare blue-tongued red lion
An entire knight on top of another knight
Benjamin Franklin Owl
Jaques Peacock
The Trumpet Terrier
Quote the raven
An impediment to battle on a windy day
A blue Weasel?
The Duke's Dragon will secure your anchor to the seafloor for you
Black labs rule the world
Snow leopard?
Blue and white
So realistic
A mobile organ
We was buried here but removed in a few short years, then he was dug up, hanged and drawn and quartered. A fine posthumous execution!
The extra large version
Way up there
One of the more detailed parts
Oh my!
Tiny folks
A black stone was well worn but still had sharp edges
Edward III
Raw deal for a would be queen of England
Murdered in the choir in 1333
Poets corner
Jam packed
with dead celebs
Finally the Bard
Britain's oldest door, from 1050 AD
Another door of note
Hey to Halley
Captain Cook and his circumnavigation of the globe
The continents
Flying the Union Jack
Dragons everywhere
Remembrances
Graffiti carved into the Coronation Chair
