Westminster Abbey & Windsor Castle

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This morning we did the touristy thing and did the audio tour of the inside of Westminster Abbey. I don't like touristy attractions, but I actually learned a few things that caught my attention. For example, I didn't know that so many kings were buried there. While kings seem normal, I was really shocked when I saw that poets and literary figures were also buried--they even had their own corner, which contained Chaucer's and Charles Dickens' burial spots. In the Nave lay Darwin's corpse and there was a complete monument for Newton. I can't believe I stood on top of the bodies of Dickens and Darwin. Crazy. Moreover, I found out that people still live in the Abbey. The Abbey clergy and staff apparently reside in the Little Cloister in the back. It was so crazy seeing front doors and numbers running along the walls of one of the oldest buildings in London.

In the afternoon, we continued being tourists and took a trip to Windsor Castle. I was tired of listening to the audio tapes so Mama listened for the both of us while I navigated and had the opportunity to observe more intently. I was really taken aback by the intricate furniture in each room. Each piece was so unique and the detail of each design was so impeccable. You could really see all the hours of hard labor that went into each piece and the handy work behind each detail--clearly created to last unlike the 3-piece tables from Ikea made out of thick card board.

According to the audiotape and Mama's guidebook, Queen Elizabeth still lives in the castle on the weekends when she entertains guests. Pretty cool. Windsor itself is a really cute and quaint town full of cobble stone streets and cafes--definitely time well spent.

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