Surviving Mai Tai Tom’s “Royal” Blunder: 2022 England & Scotland

CHAPTER TWO: A Whale Of A Day In London

The Bailey’s location meant we could just hop across the street to the Gloucester Road Tube station and head to an old favorite London attraction. Of course, first we had to remember how to use the tube, and more importantly, how to pay for it.

Last time we were in London, we purchased Oyster Cards loaded with a finite number of pounds that we would carry with us, then Tap and Pay both entering the tube and exiting at our destination. If we used all the money we loaded on the card, we could just replenish the card at any tube station. As we got in line to purchase a card, a transit employee told us instead of purchasing a new card, we could now use our credit card as long as it could be tapped (and you must use the same credit card to tap in and out). Some people still like using the Oyster card because it has that finite amount in case it is lost or stolen, while if you’re careless enough to lose your credit card, your wife will kill you. In a moment of bravery (or stupidity), I decided upon the credit card.

As we would find out, the United Kingdom either doesn’t believe Covid exists or doesn’t care. My guess is that less than 10 percent of people riding the tube donned a mask. Because of Kim’s weakened immune system, he always wore a mask inside, and in an abundance of caution, we always wore one in very close quarters, such as the tube. Getting Covid once was enough for me.

After exiting the tube and walking past a few of London’s unique buildings …

… our first stop of the day was St. Paul’s Cathedral, where we had booked advanced online tickets for the earliest admittance time, between 8:30 and 10 a.m. When the four of us visited the cathedral in 2013, we climbed the 528 steps to the top.

Since the Whispering Gallery was closed we decided not to make the climb to the top. OK, it was really because we were nine years older. We’ll just have to assume it has the same view as we experienced then (photos below).

Speaking of photos, I remembered reading before leaving home that photos are now allowed to be taken inside St. Paul’s. I still wasn’t convinced until we were inside and Jesus gave me the “ok.”

Sadly, there was also construction going on when we there (an ongoing situation we’d encounter throughout the trip), but I guess when a building is more than 300 years ago, it’s to be expected.  Even with scaffolding the interior is something to behold.  The font dates from the 1720s.

The dome is one of the largest in the world at 366 feet, and gave Kim and Tracy the chance to show off their neck-craning techniques to get a couple of photos.  Chiropractors throughout the UK were on speed dial as we visited several cathedrals.

Walking through the St. Paul’s, you just can’t have enough ceiling shots.

The quire is considered to be of national, historic significance.

The cathedral was damaged in a 1940 bombing by the Germans, and after the war a new altar was constructed, enclosed in a gorgeous Baldacchino.

The chapel “commemorates sacrifices of the British and American peoples” during the World War II. 

Now it was time to descend into the crypt.  As we would find out on this trip, not all crypts are created equal, and this one is purported to be the largest in Europe, containing more than 200 memorials to not-so-famous people and a few big ticket names.

The chapel in the crypt is dedicated to the Order of the British Empire. The OBE Chapel was designed by Wren in the 1670s.

In the center of the crypt beneath a dome, lies the very large black sarcophagus of Admiral Lord Nelson. We learned that after his death at the Battle of Trafalger, Admiral Nelson’s corpse was transported to London in a keg of brandy (there is proof), and that his coffin (made from a French vessel he defeated at the Battle of the Nile), is inside the sarcophagus which was originally created for Cardinal Thomas Wolsey.

I can’t see the Duke of Wellington having a beef with his final resting place.

We also stopped by a memorial for Florence Nightingale. If Florence thought being a nurse during the Crimean War was difficult, she should have tried traveling with our group.

When here nine years ago, we thought we saw the tomb of Christopher Wren, a man who seemingly designed every building in London including St. Paul’s. We were wrong. We’d actually been looking at a stone bearing the mark of Wren.

Here’s his actual tomb.  I never knew he colored his hair, however.

Since Kim and Mary were extending their trip and would stay in Kilkenny, we took this photo for them.

Before exiting, we remembered we hadn’t seen the Monument to the Duke of Wellington. It isn’t hard to find because it takes up most of the central bay of the North aisle. Wellington is on top with his horse Copenhagen. I thought he should have had a great Dane, too.

Exiting through the gift shop we ran into Queen Elizabeth’s Jubilee companion Paddington Bear and a card game that obviously must come in a tube.

We started walking toward our destination, the nearby Museum of London, when Tracy got her first taste (well, should I say smell) of the numerous UK gardens she’d see.

Located on the site where the Franciscan Church of Greyfriars once stood, these gardens which are laid out in an interesting manner. Four queens were buried in the old church that was decimated by the Great Fire of 1666.  The newer church, designed by, who else? Wren, in 1704, was nearly completely destroyed by bombs. In 1989, a rose garden was planted “matching the floor plan of the former Wren church,” with the rose beds representing where the pews once stood.Tracy said it was “underplanted with blue catmint,” which made us wonder how Jack was doing at kitty daycare.