London

 Chris and I were able to go to London for a few days which Chris has so wanted to do for a long time. We were really sad that we couldn't stay a little longer and make it out to the country, but it was a really amazing trip, unlike anything we've ever done before.

 Eating a German kabob which Chris has been telling me about for years

 

Big Ben

 

Westminster Abbey

 

Incredibly beautiful place of worship built in 1060. 

 

 I was honestly a little surprised by the feelings I had that this was a sacred space. It was so sobering to think about how we are blessed to know about the apostasy and the restoration. I'm so incredibly grateful for that knowledge and testimony. It stirred my heart to think about people who had lived during that time of apostasy. We are now blessed to know that so much had been lost, but how incredible that so many people still clung to what they did know about Christ. <3 I'm sure there were many people with wonderful hearts and the best of intentions who poured their hearts into this place in devotion to Jesus Christ.

So beautiful how the windows look so dark on the outside, but are so bright and colorful on the inside.

It's not only a place of worship, but also a final resting place for many people. Some famous historical figures are buried in the abbey, along with royalty and others. Some historical figures are memorialized. A lot of the graves are in the floor of the whole abbey marked with stone grave markings just kind of cut out of the stone floor over the years. It's just part of the floor that you walk over. This is the only grave that is never walked on in the abbey. The grave of an unknown soldier.

 

 

 

 You can see really good in these pictures how the floor was through the whole abbey. Just people buried under the floor kind of everywhere. The floor was very uneven, and you really have to watch your step to keep from tripping. Some of the inscriptions are so old, they are worn off. There are also memorials on the walls, and crypts. It was so interesting to imagine all the history and the people who had passed through here.

Westminster abbey houses the oldest door in great Britain. Standing for over 900 years, it dates back to the 1050's.

 

 

Winston Churchill War Rooms

 

 It was pretty sobering being in this large bomb shelter and learning about the people who lived here and directed England's military during the German invasion in World War II. We read quotes of Winston Churchill talking about how FDR was the greatest friend that England ever had, and that without America's support and help, they couldn't have won the war. We also listened to parts of several of Winston Churchill's speeches during this time. He at one point was telling the people of England that they would continue to defend their "little island". I had never thought of England in this way, but when I heard him say that, it seemed even more scary to be in that position of being invaded and on a "little island" with nowhere to go and doing everything you can to defend yourself, family, and country. 

 

 

Buckingham Palace 

 

 

Crazy to see so much history right up against modern day construction

 

 

Les Mis

Absolutely breathtaking and emotional

 

 

 

Piccadilly Circus

 

 

 

Camden Street Market

Lots of waterways running through the city and old old bridges. You can see there is grass growing on this one.

Little Turkish dessert place

 

 View from our hotel room window

 

So much of the old foundations are still there. You can see from this view all of the chimneys. It was crazy seeing this and thinking about all the chimney sweep back in the day. Most of them aren't in use anymore, but it's amazing that so much of this historical architecture is still there.

 Sacrament meeting at Hyde Park Chapel

 

 We went to multiple museums

 

 

 

 

 An old, abandoned church refurbished into a street food market

 St. Paul's Cathedral

Constructed in 1675 after the original St. Paul's Cathedral that was built from 1087-1314 burned down in the Great Fire of London.

 

 

There was a memorial in the back of the chapel in the Cathedral. Writing in the tile said, "To The American Dead of the Second World War From The People of Britian". Three big stained glass windows being the tile had panes dedicated to each of the USA's 50 States. And also a stain glass of George Washington.

Stained glass window pane representing Utah

 

We had to walk up close to 500 steps to get to the 'Stone Gallery', which is a pavilion where you can walk around the dome of the cathedral. The steps were kind of crazy. In some parts they were just so old and tiny walking in a little teeny stone hallways and up steps for long periods of time with no windows and no way of knowing where you were and nowhere else to go but up. There were lots of warnings before you started to go up, to make sure you were in good health and capable before you started the climb. It was pretty amazing once we got to the top.

Tower of London

 

An incredibly old castle and fortress in London. The White Tower was built in the year 1078 by William the Conqueror. The White Tower is what gives the castle and fortress it's name. It served as a grand palace early in its history, a royal residence. Later it was also used as a prison. It's a complex of several buildings within 2 huge defensive walls and a moat. It was pretty incredible to see and feel like you were literally walking in history.

 

 While walking up a cobblestone path to the entrance, you can see Tower Bridge across The River Thames.

The entrance through the two protective walls

The White Tower. Built entirely of stone except the wooden steps up to the entrance. The idea was that if they were under attack, everyone could go take cover in The White Tower, and the last person in could set the wooden steps on fire.

The castle literally looks like it's built out of stones of no particular size or shape laid together in some kind of cement. Pretty incredible to imagine this medieval/dark ages construction

The Jewel House; where a collection of the crown jewels were on display

Some other buildings within the complex

Inside The White Tower

Lots of old Armor on display. Royals throughout the ages loved to have their likeness sculpted in wood, clothed in full armor and on their horses also sculpted to scale from wood.

The chapel inside The White Tower. Imagine how many people throughout history have worshiped here.

The big open spaces were really cool, but what made these buildings really seem old to me were the stairways. Just absolutely so small, and steps made of stone that you could see the wear and erosion that had occurred over hundreds of years of use. We walked down to the basement of the castle where there was a well actually inside the castle. It was crazy to imagine people going down there to get water, and then lugging it up those precarious steps through the tiny hallways to be used for a lot of things, maybe including baths. 

Tower Bridge

 

 

Another cool street food market

Last museum

 

 The Rosetta Stone

 

 Plane home