Where did we leave off yesterday? Oh yes. Lots of interesting dead people.
So, you know how Henry VIII was obsessed with having a son? How he split with Rome and married wife after wife in search of the elusive male heir? I think he'd be horribly disappointed at his son's grave here in the abbey.
Speaking of those wives... If you look past the marble statues...
Hey, it's Anne of Cleves! She was one of the lucky ones. She didn't get beheaded or die in childbirth.
C.S. Lewis?! C.S. Lewis is buried here?? Well, no. No, he's not.
Neither is Jane Austen, who we see over here.
What I discovered is that there are many memorials here for people who aren't actually interred here.
The three Bronte sisters, for example, are buried at two other churches.
There are these beautiful hallways, also filled with memorials, surrounding a quiet square of grass. It's very peaceful.
You can see the center fountain through this arch. I sat here for a bit and FaceTimed my family at home.
Serene. Although, after I got off the phone, the bells started going off. Which was cool, too. There was a memorial event taking place that evening, and the bells went off for quite a while.
Personally, I'd want to redecorate after 700 years, but it seems this is an important piece of furniture. ;)
And like all good tourist attractions, there's a gift shop at the end!
One of the things I thought was cool is that many of the gift shops have offerings in multiple languages. People from all over the world come to London, and they're both aware and accommodating of that fact.
The backside of the abbey, with the little gift shop in the lower right.
And just steps away, more London icons.
I decided to go back to the hotel a different way, so I could walk along the Thames, and I came across a pier.
Turns out, the fabulous public transit system here includes boats. So I hopped on one just to ride a few stops and see what I saw.
I think that's the HMS Belfast, which can be toured. Behind it you see Tower Bridge.
I got off at the London Bridge stop and wandered around a little bit. There's a big bus and train station almost spitting distance from the pier. I spotted a golden arches and snagged a couple cheeseburgers to take by to my room for dinner.
My shopping treasures from Westminster Abbey. Mostly gifts.
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