Tower of London

The View from St. Paul's

The Golden Gallery of St. Paul's is 530 steps from the ground or 85 meters or 279 feet. That's a long way up no matter how you figure it. The views were spectacular in part because the day was so spectacular.

When you get to the Golden Gallery, there is what seems like a very slight railing around you. It took a few minutes to get used to and then I was able to look down. I kept a hard grip on all of my stuff, my camera bag and my jacket. I was not going to have anything flying off. I'd hope to have someone take a picture of me at the top but by the time I got around to it I was the only one left at the top.

I talked to one of the staff. He was seated at the last group of steps before you reached the Golden Gallery. I asked how many times a week he had to do this. He said only two. He'd come up here and be here for a couple of hours. He would then walk down to the Whispering Gallery for about another hour or so. He would then get a couple hours for lunch and end the day back at the Whispering Gallery that's only 259 steps from the main Cathedral floor.

Bath Cathedral

This is the Bath Cathedral. It is one of the few cathedrals that you can take pictures in. The trip to Bath started out a little cloudy. But early in the afternoon the sun came out. I went back to the cathedral to see what the stained glass windows would look like with the sun coming through them. It was spectacular.

































































































































There's a mirror in one of the aisles of the church. It actually magnifies and this is the view you get up at the ceiling. It gives you a sense of how intricate the ceiling really is.

The Roman Baths

These are the Roman Baths of Bath. It's thought there was a temple complex on this site well before the Romans arrived. The color of the water reminds me of the geothermal springs I saw when I was in New Zealand. There were many signs saying not to drink this water because it has not been treated in anyway.














































From the Roman Baths to the Bath Cathedral a span of well over 1,200 years.
















Just a few of the many coins recovered.
























































A Roman soldier's tomb stone.

Bath

This is the city of Bath. It is a really cool place. The Roman Baths are a stones throw from the Bath Cathedral which means that that is a span of about 1200 years. Here are a couple of shots of the city.

Also a few pictures of the jazz band that played on the street. I figure these guys were probably high school age. They were really good. Also how often do you see a jazz band with a xylophone. I watched as they broke everything down and put their equipment into their cars. It was interesting to see how they got everything to fit.

Queen's Horse Guard

Here are the Queen's Horse Guard. I saw these guys after I'd gone to Westminster. They stay completely still while tourists try very hard to break their concentration. One of the guys on horseback had an itch somewhere around the corner of his mouth or nose. He was trying to blow on it to make it stop itching. He wasn't having a great deal of success. I'd hope he was going to be relieved in a short while.

London Eye

Here are some views from the London Eye. It is really spectacular from the top. One thing of interest except in very rare occasions, such as someone with a disability, the Eye never stops moving. So when you walk into it and off of it, it is in motion. I had to say I felt a little weird doing it. But as you can see it is well worth it. I went up again right as it was getting dark. I'll be posting those pictures in the next couple of days.