A Moving Day: Views and Music at St Paul's Cathedral

This post has two parts because Monday of last week was a moving day- both physically and emotionally.

The movers arrived at 9am. They packed up the majority of our flat leaving only some clothes and our must-pack items. It took them two hours and then they left with our life packed up in boxes.

My mom was still there and Aaron and I had taken the day off work, so we decided not to waste the half day in London that we had. One of the touristy things we have not done in London yet was visit the church that dominates the city skyline, St Paul's Cathedral. With only a few days left to explore, we headed there to check it out.

The church sits on the highest point of the city, which isn't saying much because the city is pretty flat! There's been a church onsite since AD604, but the current one dates from the 17th century. It's been partially destroyed three times by fires, but has continued to be rebuilt and remains an important part of British history. It is where Princess Diana and Prince Charles were married, Sir Winston Churchill's funeral services were held, and the Queen's Diamond Jubilee service took place.

The downstairs part of the church is a crypt with tombs and memorials. The ground floor consists of a beautiful, high-ceiling dome with ornate artwork depicting the life of St Paul; a choir section lined with wooden benches; and a high alter area decorated with mosaics. Overlooking down into the dome 100 feet up is the whispering gallery. And the brave can continue climbing the stairs farther up until they reach the outside of the dome. This provides a spectacular 360° view from the center of London. It is one of the most amazing views of the city because you can just see everything.

After touring through the cathedral, we attended the choral evensong which is a nightly service. We sat in the choir section and listened to the choir sing; their beautiful voices echoing off the high dome walls.

Then we headed to Sushi Samba,  a restaurant located in one of the tallest towers in London. We had a great dinner with our last visitor (my mom- she was also our first visitor!) and had another amazing view of this incredible city.

Now that our flat is nearly empty and there's nothing on the walls anymore, it's all starting to feel real. We are eating off paper plates and using plastic utensils, just like we did when we first arrived. Remember my wine bottle post? Well, I did not make that mistake twice. This time I saved a wine opener just in case : )