Day Five of London, Amsterdam, Paris

Monday

Today should be a short one, it was a short day.

With the weather funkiness continuing in England, we made a late start this morning, not getting up and out till around 10a. We walked over to a bank in hopes of exchanging dollars for euros, but were told we needed an account. Went to an exchange place, but were told they would have to exchange it from dollars to pounds, then pounds to euros. Charging both times, of course. We decided to wait till Amsterdam tomorrow. Word of caution for future travelers, if you're taking cash, exchange it BEFORE you travel. It's a pain.

So we went into a couple of shops in the area, a stationary shop and a Boots (pharmacy chain). Then we headed back to the apartment. I did several work-related things, then we got ready to roll out.

The weather was cold, windy and spitting rain, so we made a short list today. Just Westminster Abbey. So we hopped on the bus and headed that direction. When we arrived, we walked several blocks before spotting the top of the church between the other large buildings in the area.

I will be completely honest in saying that Westminster Abbey has been top 3 for me since I heard of it, so maybe it's been 30 years? I always wanted to see this place. The layers of history boggle the mind. It's been a dream to see this place in person and I could have spent hours in the building. I'll also confess I did something I love to do when in an old building with so much history. I like to touch the walls. I look for spots that are out of the way, maybe a crack in a wall, or a high up area over a door frame, something that isn't touched every day like a rail or a door handle. For me it's about making contact with the past, with the hands that put that rock into place, the generations of masons that repaired the walls, the men and women that spent time in those rooms, I want to feel the history. It's not mysticial, but maybe metaphysical - a way to make contact through the years, through an artifact. Hand to hand across thousands of years.

Geoffrey Chaucer walked the halls of that church. As did the kings and queens of England for the last 1,000 years. I want to hear them whisper across time. I try to achieve that through the tactile communications that lie within physical objects. I've done it in every old building I've gone into. I did it yesterday in the Tower of London. Find a spot, unspoiled by handling, and allow your mind to feel the history through your fingertips. Things have memories, pasts. It feels real to me.

There are no photos allowed in Westminster Abbey proper, so I can only say that the church and the hundreds buried within the building are enough to stagger even the most experienced traveler. Just wonderful. Lived up to every hope I had. The side buildings were just as shocking, including the Chapter House, built for monks to meet in, with the circle of benches lining the wall and the old paintings on the wall, the oldest door in England in the hall, built for Edward the Confessor. It was all so much to eat up.

After exiting, we walked around and across the street, into a park next to Parliament. We looked across the river and took some photos. It was so cold and we were hungry so we headed off to find some food.

We had discussed going to a pub the entire time in London, so we visited one up the street, The Clarence Whitehall. We had a burger and fish and chips. Both delicious. We didn't drink, but we enjoyed the experience. Tired, cold, and ready to go home, we walked to the Embankment Underground station and made our way back to Fulham for an evening of packing and picking up. Off to Amsterdam in the morning!

-Dan