Thu June 13 - 13:10 (London: Westminster Abbey and Westminster Walk)

On my way to Westminster Abbey, I saw Buckingham Palace.

Westmister Abbey was very intricate in detail and gorgeous.

I saw the tombs of James IV, Henry V, Elizabeth I, and Mary Queen of Scots. Each had their own area in the church, but every foot had a grave of a royal, wealthy, important, or famous person. The grave of Chaucer was there. Lewis Carroll, author of Alice in Wonderland, and Charles Dickens were buried there. George Frederick Handel is buried with those authors in what is called the Poets' corner. A memorial to Shakespeare was put there after years of debate to move his grave from Stratford von Avon, where his grave still remains. Next to the Shakespeare memorial is the grave of Lawrence Olivier, who asked to be in the same building as Henry V since he had played Henry V in one of his famous movies. They Abbey has a few signs of war damage but was luckily not destroyed during the wars. It is amazing because the building has been there for 1000 years. The building as it sits now took centuries to construct. Most of it is in the gothic style so it is interesting to see the plethora of gothic styles from multiple centuries. Also, I saw the Coronation Chair. The stone that is placed under it was moved to Scotland in 1996. It is at Edinburgh Castle. I remember seeing it there but not thinking anything of it because it was just a slab of sandstone (haha). In another part of the Abbey, there was a museum section that had crowns, swords, scepters, and many other royal artifacts including jewelry and royal garments. The garden was not open, but I saw the Little Cloister, which is a small garden area with a little fountain. The floor of the main altar was amazing as it was an Italian mosaic of semi-precious stones in a symmetrical design. The ceiling in James VII area (nearby where Elizabeth I and Mary Queen of Scots) was marvelous. When it was built, it was known as the most spectacular ceiling in England.

After I left, I walked to Westmister Bridge and walked the "Westminster Walk," which is a walk from the bridge- passing Big Ben- down Whitehall Street to Trafalgar Square. I saw the Horse Guards and the Ministry of Defense too.