Beautiful Morning and Relaxing Evening

This morning was absolutely beautiful as you can see from the photo on the left. I began the day with a visit to Westminster Abbey. An added bonus to visiting the abbey is getting to see Big Ben, Parliament and the London Eye. With all of these beautiful landmarks so close together I couldn't help but to take pictures like crazy. As I began walking toward Westminster Abbey, I saw a large group of people camped out on the lawn. I had seen this group about two weeks ago on a bus tour, but this was the first time I got a view up close. The campers at this site are protesting the current war. These individuals have been at the site since the start of the war and have vowed to remain until it is done. This group of campers was interesting to see, but it is also another example of how seriously the English believe and take advantage of their right to protest. In the image to the right you can see a small portion of the protest, but in actuality these protesters take up an entire square of the city. After passing the protest, I began to see the magnificent Westminster Abbey rising high in the sky. This beautiful church is bigger than any I have ever seen before. The intricate detail follows closely to that of Big Ben making this entire area of London fit nicely together. I was so amazed at the sight of the abbey and could not wait to see what the inside had to offer. I wish I had photos of the inside to share with you, but of course there was no photography allowed in the abbey. I will say however, that there were beautiful crystal chandeliers hanging from the amazingly high ceilings throughout the abbey. As I walked through the abbey I began to notice an overwhelming amount of graves. After seeing grave after grave, Westminster Abbey began to lose a bit of its charm for me. Yes, the abbey is beautiful and amazing, but I began to feel like I was touring a cemetery, and that is just a bit weird to me. I would still recommend visiting the abbey to enjoy its beauty, but do be advised it does get to be grave after grave after grave. After Westminster, I took the Tube back to my flat. I needed some time to rest after a late night and an early morning. In the afternoon, I journeyed back to the fabulous Harrod's. I saw many portions of Harrod's today that I had not seen previously. I explored the arcade, that houses fantastic bargains as well as the food halls each specializing in delicious goodies. I could not leave the food halls without indulging a bit in some of the great offerings. I chose to try the gelato from Morelli's because it looked so creamy and delicious. I must say the gelato was so good and I cannot wait to try another flavor. :) Tonight I had one of the most relaxing evenings since I arrived in London. I decided that I wanted to cook a grand feast for dinner and that is exactly what I did. I made roasted rosemary potatoes, broccoli and mushrooms in a white wine sauce and sauteed chicken. I find cooking to be very relaxing and that was just what I needed after a busy week. Ta ta for now!

AM