Medieval History Heaven and the EYE!

After spending all of Sunday on the couch, I was feeling much better when I got up for class today. We had our History of London class at 11 followed by a walking tour at 2. We were told to meet at the Temple underground station. Liz and I mapped it out and decided to walk. The walk led us directly down to the bank of the Thames and we were able to see the London Eye, Big Ben and Parliament in the skyline looking down the river.

Looking down (well technically up) the River Thames

We met with the group by the station and went on a walking tour around the historic footprint of the city of London. What we think of as London now actually encompasses the City of Westminster (which is where the Palace and such is) and the city of London (which is now largely banking and contains St. Paul's cathedral). We passed by the Royal Courts of Justice, which are far more impressive than any court house I have seen back in the US. We also passed by St. Paul's, but didn't get close enough to really see it. We will be going on a tour of St. Paul's later in the year though, so I am not too torn up about that.

Royal Courts of Justice

One of the Griffins marking the City of London

St. Paul's from Fleet Street

Our walking tour ended at Temple Church. Temple Church was the chapel that served the Knights Templar monastic order in London. The Church is one of the oldest buildings in London. It survived both London fires and the Blitz, save for the caving in of the round roof which was repaired after WWII along with several stained glass windows.

Temple Church

The Round Roof

Knight's Effigies inside Temple Church

Stained Glass on the East Wall

The Rose Window

Me in Temple Church

A statue of a Templar Knight

The sheer age of the building was staggering to think about. There was so much history contained in this building, which was built in the 12th century. From Templar Knights to WWII, the church was filled with relics of British History. I am an unabashed nerd when it comes to English and Irish History, so this trip was a great treat for me.

After our walking tour, Liz, Corey and I decided to stroll down the Thames to the London eye. It was one of those very rare perfect days in London. There was not a single cloud in the perfectly blue sky. It was the perfect opportunity to ride the famous ferris wheel. We were lucky enough to not even have to wait in line for this attraction, which can demand waits of over an hour. 

A Capsule on the London Eye

The London Eye never stops moving at its extremely so pace, so you have to jump on while it passes by the loading platform. It takes 40 minutes to make one full revolution on the wheel, offering some amazing views of London and plenty of time for picture taking. We were fortunate enough to get on the eye very near sunset, so some of the views we had were incredible, though you can't tell from my photos which don't do them justice in the slightest. 

Liz and I on the Eye

Myself on the Eye overlooking Parliament

At the Top of the Eye

Sunset over the Thames facing Parliament

Sunset in London

After our ride on the eye, we had to speed back home to get ready for our first play of the semester. Every monday night for our theatre course we will be seeing a play. Most of these plays are contemporary theatre. Tonight's was The Woman in Black, a ghost story about a haunting in Northern Britain. I didn't really enjoy the play as much as I would have liked. There were several scary moments that had me jumping out of my chair, but overall I found the plot to be weak and the whole performance generally unimpressive. I hope I will like the next play better! Tomorrow I have my museum theory and London novel classes and then I will be setting off with some friends to continue the hunt for the perfect London pub (the Nell Gwynne was perfect, but too far from home to become a regular haunt). 

I am more excited than I look, I swear

Posing with another of the Griffons around the City