I'd like to start by thanking Stephen for establishing the Bury My Sister at St. Paul's Fund. I'm sure you've all sent in this month's contribution. St. Paul's is an incredibily amazing place & if you've been there or ever go I think you'll understand why I'd want to be buried inside. I'm not even going to try & describe it. I spent a lot of the time we were there just sitting & staring (probably w/my mouth hanging open which explains why people looked at me funny). Prince Charles & Princess Diana were married in St. Paul's. Personally I think it takes a lot of nerve to be married in St. Paul's Cathedral and then get divorced. I guess some people just like living dangerously.
We did indeed spend some time at The British Library. My fingerprints are permanently embedded in the case where the letter written by Elizabeth I was displayed. Other highlights included the Victoria & Albert Museum, the National Portrait Gallery, Harrods, and Hampton Court
Palace.Hampton Court was completed in 1521 by Cardinal Wolsey. Wolsey rose from humble origins (I like that phrase) to become Lord Chancellor and Cardinal under Henry VIII. For many years he enjoyed nearly unlimited power. Unfortunately for Wolsey, Henry began to rely on him to accomplish the impossible and when Henry decided to divorce his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, and marry Anne Boleyn, he expected Wolsey to make the divorce happen. Not so easy. Wolsey was caught between an adamant and increasingly petulant king and a pope who was the prisoner of Catherine's nephew, the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. To make a long story short, Wolsey fell from power and was accused of treason. He died on his way to London to stand trial. In the play Henry VIII, Shakespeare has Wolsey say, Had I but serv’d my God with half the zeal I serv’d my king, He would not in mine age Have left me naked to mine enemies. That has always struck me as a fitting epitaph. Like many of those who served the Tudor rulers, he reaped a reward that was far less than he deserved.
As usual I got a bit off the subject of describing our visit to Hampton Court. It is really an amazing place. The kitchen area is vast and standing in it you can just imagine a 16th century meal being prepared. There is also a maze out in the garden which was fun to walk through (except that I was freezing). The other really neat thing about Hampton Court is that it contains a Landmark Trust apartment that can be rented for short-term visits. Guess where I want to stay next time!
I don't really know how to summarize my visit to London. I was afraid that after wanting to go for such a very long time that it wouldn't be everything I expected. I was right - it was far, far more than I ever envisioned. I find it difficult to imagine people living their everyday lives in the midst of so much history. They just walk along the street as if it is nothing that the Tower of London is a few blocks away! I feel like people should want to touch me reverently because I've been in London. Samuel Johnson said, "When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford." I can't improve on that.
Robin
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