The View from the Top...

...of St. Paul's Cathedral is absolutely magnificent. For British Art & Architecture on Friday, we toured St. Paul's, and we were able to climb the 528 steps to the top! It was so exhausting but entirely worth it.

The cathedral was designed and built by Sir Christopher Wren following the Great Fire of London in 1666. (It seems like every building I talk about was destroyed in the fire. It really was of such an incredibly large magnitude that the entire city had to be rebuilt.) Construction was not finished until 1711, and this had a lot to do with Wren's problematic designs. He wanted to bring Baroque influences to the church, but those elements were considered too Catholic for the Church of England. The domed cathedral is one of the most recognizable buildings in London's skyline. It was influenced by St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. Wren always considered St. Paul's Cathedral to be his most defining work. He is buried there in the crypt, and his epitaph reads

"LECTOR, SI MONUMENTUM REQUIRIS, CIRCUMSPICE."

which translates from Latin to

"Reader, if you seek his memorial, look around you."

The church still has services today, but they aren't as regularly attended as they would have been back in the 18th century. Many of the churches in England, especially in London, charge a fee for touring the buildings to make up for the deficiency in parish members.

We took a short lunch break, and I got a sandwich from Pret à Manger and ate with one of classmates at a little park near St. Paul's. Pret is a chain of little restaurants that pre-make sandwiches and salads daily. The food is always fresh, and it is everywhere in England. It is a very common thing for the British version to have mainly cold sandwiches available. The food is very good, and it is definitely something I will miss.

After lunch, we took a walking tour about The City, which used to be the occupied by the Romans. It is mainly the financial and business districts now. We saw a few of the other churches that were built following the Fire, such as St. Mary Woolnoth. This church was one of several built by Nicholas Hawksmoor, who studied under Wren.


We then went to see Southwark Cathedral. This is a good example of a Gothic church that survived the Fire because it was on the opposite side of the river.


Saturday was a day-trip to Stratford and the Cotswolds. We saw Shakespeare's birthplace, and toured the area for a while. The English countryside is so peaceful and beautiful. The villages are adorably small and have a lot of character that hasn't been destroyed because of the tourism. I think the tourism has actually helped keep these areas alive. Agriculture is on the decline as an occupation because places like the US and mainland Europe are becoming increasingly advanced in their techniques and production levels.

We stopped in Bourton-on-the-Water, which is nicknamed "Venice of the Cotswolds" because of all the little bridges to cross the canal. It is a very small area, but it had some neat shops and a lot of places to get refreshments. One of my flatmates also went on the trip, and we stopped to get tea and scones. I'm not one for tea, but it was delicious. And the scones melted in your mouth! I was very happy with our experience there.



I went out on Sunday morning with a few friends to Camden Market. It was insane and so busy. There were a lot of trinkets and cheap souvenirs, but if you kept looking, you could find some neat vintage items. It was definitely an experience to remember.


Sunday afternoon was time for a proper English tea. I shared this tier of treats with two girls. We all got our own pots of English Breakfast Tea, and after we finished with the sandwiches, chocolates, and sweets, we were brought warm scones with clotted cream and jam. It was very filling, and it was so much fun to take part in this custom. Afternoon tea is usually done only for special occasions and is more like a meal in itself. The change in social customs and in working hours has made it more of a treat rather than a normal occurrence.

Cheers!