London Day Three

20 June
Gordon is feeling unwell again, so he slept in until nearly 10am, which meant I went off to breakfast on my own, then went out and bought some food for hubby. Later, there was more heaving around of heavy bags as we transferred to a room over the road in another part of the hotel. We planned the day over coffee at Starbucks, then went to Parliament buildings, where both Gordon and I were overwhelmed by its beautifully ornate architecture. Westminster Cathedral, which I'd really looked forward to seeing, was just over the road, so that was our next port of call. I took out my camera to take a shot of one of the beautiful stained glass windows, and was promptly asked to put it away. I hadn't seen any signs about not taking photos, as we'd come in a kind of side entrance. Once again, we availed ourselves of the audio guide. It is an immense building, without any really open spaces, but lots of nooks and crannies full of dead kings and queens and other people of great importance. I really hadn't expected the cathedral to be full of monuments to dead people. I did feel it was a little ironic that Charles Darwin was actually buried in this place - apparently at the request of his family, and not according to his own wishes. At one point during our time there, everyone had to pause while a prayer was said over the speakers - a good reminder for the real existence of the place. Gordon and I also enjoyed a visit to St. Faith's Chapel, which was set aside for those who wanted to pray.
Lunch today consisted of a hot chocolate and a nut bar from my handbag, which we consumed in an area of the cathedral called the Cloisters, where the monks used to hang out.
After all our walking around, we were ready for a break, so we had a short rest on the grass at a nearby park. London has some really lovely parks, with massive leafy oak and plane trees, and the occasional bed of flowers.
There seemed to be some commotion nearby, so we stopped to watch what was going on. It turned out to be a protest march in support of the Tamil Tigers, with large groups of Sri Lankan people (plus hangers on) of all ages, chanting and marching, flanked by rows of police keeping everything in order.
By the time we got to St. Paul's Cathedral, it was about 5pm, so we walked around the outside, thinking it was closed, then found a door open, and stepped inside to find Evensong in progress. While we were there, we listened to two readings from the Bible and a large male choir singing as the organ accompanied them. I was struck by the contrast between this place, with its lovely devotional atmosphere and Westminster Abbey, which somehow seemed more intent on glorifying dead people. St Pauls is absolutely beautiful inside, with lots of paintings on the ceilings, but much more simple in its layout.
We enjoyed another double decker bus ride back to our hotel - it's a great way to see around the streets of London - then grabbed a salad to eat in our room.
The pictures above are: Gordon in front of Parliament Buildings, a very serious mounted guard, the demonstration, Wincester Cathedral, and a statue of John Wesley that we came upon in the grounds of St Pauls.