We started today touring Westminster Abbey.
Waiting at Covent Garden. It is a lot like the downtown mall, but we didn't see a garden anywhere. Several good street performers, though!
Waiting sometimes causes us to climb the walls...
... but there were sweet rewards for waiting!
We finished off the day at a fantastic performance of "Wicked".
2 comments:
aw we all look so out of it in that Wicked picture! Zzzz... that musical was too long, but I still like the story behind it.
On this day, we also sped through the British Museum, where I also would have liked to have had more time. We were allowed to roam, so Mr. Kishore led some of us to the unmissable Rosetta Stone and Elgin Marbles. Seeing the Rosetta Stone, which allowed archeologists and scholars to decipher ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics, and the Marbles, pieces from the frieze and pediments of the Parthenon built by the ancient Grecians was truly amazing. The other pieces on display from Egypt, including huge carvings and statues from pyramids and palaces as well as mummies and amulets, many of which are about 3,000 years old, positively knocked my socks off. I also saw incredible jewelry from my brief look at the Europe exhibit and posed with statues from ancient Rome. There was so much to see that I didn't get a chance to. I suppose that means I'll just have to go back...
At Westminster Abbey, we were led around by guides who gave us the history of the church (not cathedral, although in the Gothic style, large, and tall), built by Edward the Confessor from 1045-50. The Abbey is where monarchs are conronated (we saw the Coronation Chair, used in every ceremony since 1308) and royal funerals (and Princess Di's) are held. It also is the burial site for many monarchs, including Elizabeth I and "William and Mary," and other notables, such as writer Ben Jonson, scientists Charles Darwin, Sir Isaac Newton, and J.J. Thomson, explorer David Livingstone, and former (obviously) Prime Minister William Gladstone. In a special part of the church, named Poet's Corner, writers, musicians and entertainers such as Chaucer, Kipling, Dickens, Dryden, Handel Alfred, Lord Tennyson, and even Laurence Olivier are buried. It was amazing to be in a place so historical and fascinating, but some people thought it was a little creepy to walk amongst the graves of so many people. It was especially nifty to see the grave of Ralph Vaughn Williams, because he composed one of our selections for the competition.
I can't believe we managed to do so much on this trip! After we went to Westminster Abbey, we still had time to visit the Eye and see Wicked. The Eye offered amazing views of the city, including St. Paul's Cathedral, the Globe, Westminster Abbey, Parliament and the Gherkin building. The half hour ride passed surprisingly quickly as we took silly pictures and enjoyed London from a big glass bubble 443 feet high.
Speaking of traveling in bubbles, we headed to see the acclaimed, Tony Award winning musical Wicked, a spin-off of The Wizard of Oz. This followed an eventful dinner at a restaurant with an "Americana" theme that ended up seeming more like a biker bar. There was even a tattoo station by the bar that offered youth group discounts...just kidding :) I loved the show, and many of us were singing the songs the entire Tube-ride back to the hotel.
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