"I'm sure her best dresses are just lovely!"

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Today we all went to Westminster Abbey and Big Ben. Westminster Abbey was the type of place that would overwhelm me even if I visited 1,000 times. There are so many memorials, stained glass windows, and general wonders that I probably spent two hours and took in 5%. We saw the tombs of all the kings and queens, which is totally bizarre. I guess they were tombs…they are buried in the basement but there are coffin looking memorials in the church. How scholarly I must sound! The only bad thing was that they’ve crammed in so many memorials I got a little claustrophobic in some of the little areas. But what can you do? The Poets’ Corner was very cool. They have memorials for writers and artists and actors, etc. I saw Laurence Olivier’s memorial, which was exciting. The outside of the building is just incredible. I am in love with the architecture in London. All of it, it makes me crazy.

Then we took pictures of Big Ben from at least ten different spots and angles (which we repeated two days later). Big Ben is actually the name of the bell, not the building, for my fellow geeks. Other than that, there isn’t much to say about Big Ben.

Gloria and I went to Buckingham Palace in the afternoon and it was very palace-y. While we were waiting to be admitted, the little girl next to me who was about 8 said to her little sister (who was excited to see the special display of the Queen’s dresses, as was every other female and gay man in the waiting area), “I’m sure her best dresses are just lovely!” I love these English children!

Her best dresses were “just lovely”! The whole palace was beautiful and not gaudy and creepy like some of the rooms at Versailles. Not “Ver-sails”, Missouri. Whatever. Everything was just like you would expect the Queen’s house to be. That’s enough. I’m totally behind.

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Photos

Me, the Japanese, and Big Ben
I have 300 pictures of Big Ben.

Queen's Lawn
The crazy precision manicured lawn.