Westminster Abbey

Okay so at this point, I've been in London ~26 hours, I've recharged a little after my big morning, and I look at my phone and realize that if I hurry, I can make one more attraction before it closes.  So off I go.  

Hello Westminster Abbey!  

More than just a tourist attraction, the abbey is a working church.  

A beautiful, incredible, historic, working church.  

Surprisingly, even though the abbey dates back to the 1200s, there are still internments happening here.  

It's an amazing building.

There are audio guides, but I mostly just wandered around with my jaw dropped.  

Also, this place has more nooks & crannies than an English muffin.  This is the chapel of St. John the Baptist.  

While many of the effigies lie in repose, in a traditional burial position, some of them do not.  This one looks like he's about to ask someone if they're up for a little Netflix & chill.  

Omigosh.  I geeked out so hard here.  Again with the nooks & crannies.  You go up these steps into a little (well, it's very tall, but it's also rather narrow) room, and suddenly you're standing before the tomb of Queen Elizabeth the First.  

Her sister, Mary I, is interred here, as well, but it's the Virgin Queen who's carved in marble.  

Let's not forget that Queen Mary was referred to as Bloody Mary for a reason.  Her backlash against the protestant faith of her brother and father made her reign one of religious persecution.  Elizabeth was far more tolerant.  

Elizabeth lies with her crown, orb & scepter, and one of her trademark ruffs.  (Remember starch being referred to as "devil's broth" by religious conservatives of the Tudor era?)  

Seriously.  How cool is that?  Not only is she buried here, but her coronation was here, too.  Walking around, knowing that many historical figures walked here and saw the things I was seeing was just wild.  

Tomb of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York--who united the houses of Lancaster and York, thus ending the Wars of the Roses.  

Air Force chapel

The hole was damage from bombing during WW2, and the left the hole, covering it with glass.  (They did, however, replace the stained glass window that also sustained damage.)

I took these pictures for my boys.  Weapons are always cooler than art to them.  

The sword of King George VI.  

Ah, another tragic figure from the Tudor era.  

I learned that she was originally buried elsewhere, but her son, King James I & VI, later had her moved to Westminster Abbey.  He also instructed that her memorial be built a little taller than Elizabeth I's memorial.  Even kings can be petty.  

There are 3 ladies buried in this room.  This is one of Mary's mother in laws, Margaret Douglas, who was the niece of Henry VIII (his sister Margaret's daughter).  

On this side of the tomb, the first mourner (on the right) is her son and Queen Mary's 2nd husband, Henry Stewart, the Lord Darnley.  

 Mary, Queen of Scots, who was also queen of France for a while.  

And a closer look

This one is Margaret Beaufort, mother of the Tudor dynasty.  Her son, Henry VII, was born when she was only 13 years old.  Yikes.  

As I was hanging out in this room, just contemplating these fascinating ladies, 2 men came in and disappeared down a staircase.

Made me wonder what other interesting things are behind closed doors around here.  

I didn't mean for this to turn into a history lesson!  I find it all intriguing, but I guess it's useless knowledge in the real world.  It was quite fun to be exposed to a little piece of some of the people I've learned about.  This is probably long enough for one day, though, since it's so image intensive.  More tomorrow!