My First England Trip (London Day Three) Wednesday (May 1, 2013)

     The flight is definitely catching up to me, I thought as I stretched.
    I checked my watch on the nightstand and found that it was already 10:30am.
    I jumped from the bed and threw on my outfit for that day, then was on the Tube by 10:39. My destination was St. James Park, where I would cross the grass to Buckingham Palace.
    I will not mess it up this time!
    I reached the stop, crossed the park, and arrived at the overcrowded area. At 11:15, the group pressed together further and I caught my first glimpse of guards. They marched down the street in red coats and tall black hats. There were a few in the group who wore white helmets and played instruments.
    It was an impressive display with not a single step out of place and each movement with purpose. While everyone concentrated on the approaching group, I looked toward the palace grounds. The "old" guard was being inspected. When the "new" guard reached the grounds, they were inspected as well before taking their positions. The band played the Pirates of the Caribbean theme song, the crowd having fun with the modern music.
    I slipped away as the crowd literally scrambled over each other to get good shots of the display. I disappeared back into St. James Park.

Buckingham Palace

The guards approach.

         It was noon by the time I arrived at St. Paul's Cathedral. 

        I had come to St. Pauls because my girlfriend loved everything Princess Di. I promised to take pictures and bring back something for her. Unfortunately, I found that pictures inside the Cathedral were forbidden. While that didn't stop others, I believed my luck might not be that great. So, instead I had to look online for sites that had pictures (giving credit to them as well of course).

Image from www.mountainsoftravelphotos.com

Image from www.yurtopic.com

       Inside the cathedral stood statues depicting notable people from England's history spread throughout the halls. Wandering around, I ended up at a large spiral stairwell that headed up. As I climbed, I found that my health had improved since when I first arrived.
      Taking an emergency stairwell up and down 3-4 times a day will do that to you, I thought to myself.
      Still, my health had only begun to get better. I was winded by the time I arrived at the Whispering gallery (30m/90ft from the ground). It was a small balcony that wrapped around the rotunda. It was named due to the fact that you could have two people at opposite ends whisper and it would sound like they were next to each other. Due to the large group that crowded that, as I now noticed, tilted forward area, the effects weren't too audible.

Image from wikimedia.org

    From the Whispering gallery, I ducked through a low hanging door to a stone passageway. There were more steps and I soon found myself on the outside of St. Paul's. This was the stone gallery (119 steps after the Whispering gallery) with statues of stone lined above the open area. I was able to catch the little breath that was escaping me and marveled at the vast city before me. I was in awe of how far it stretched, snapping as many pictures as I could (though not all of them came out good/note to self: get a better camera for the next trip). I came to another set of stairs 180 degrees around the building.

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      I read the sign that stated these were the 152 steps to the Golden gallery. It led almost to the very top of the Cathedral. What had started as a loving errand for my girlfriend, turned into a nightmare for my body and my fears. A long time ago, I had come to the realization that I wasn't afraid of heights, I was actually afraid of falling from them. The thin metal stairs became even smaller with everyone crowding before me and after me. The railings shook with each step and someone's lingering fart became even more unbearable as the line came to a stand still. The heat of the numerous bodies overwhelmed the area and my grip got even tighter on the rails. After all 152 steps, I managed to emerge stronger and more winded than ever. I was at the highest point allowed in that Cathedral and the City of London became even more overwhelming.

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        The city spread out in all directions, no countryside in sight. I found a renewed awe with this man made marvel. I realized how much of a speck I was within the vast metal and the stone that was London City. The line moved around to the other doorway back down. I snapped a few quick pictures before reaching the end. At the entryway, I took one last glance at the seemingly giant world before ducking back into St. Paul's.

To be continued...

Music for the Journey Pt. 6:

Waking for Buckingham: Town in the Morning by Kajiura Yuki (Sword Art Online Original Soundtrack Vol. 2)

The Changing of the Guards: He's a Pirate by Klaus Badelt (Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl Original Soundtrack) 

St. Paul's Cathedral: Genzai, Kanashimi ni Tsutsumareru by Yokoyama Masaru, Tsutsumi Hiroaki (Yuusha ni Narenakatta Ore wa Shibushibu Shuushoku o Ketsui Shimashita Vol. 6 Special CD)

The Whispering Gallery: Daily Life, You and Me by Kajiura Yuki (Sword Art Online II Original Soundtrack Vol. 1)

The Stone Gallery: In Time of Peace by Kaijura Yuki (Sword Art Online Original Soundtrack Vol. 2)

The Golden Gallery: The Distance by Oomori Toshiyuki (Amagami SS Original Soundtrack)

End Pt. 6: Paraffin (Acoustic) by Meadowlark (Paraffin - EP)