European Adventure Recap - The Rubens Hotel

Friday October 23, 2009

London, England

This hotel is just down the street from Buckingham Palace. It's extremely fancy!

I love the "crown" on top of the canopy - grown and shaped very carefully. I also love this entrance - with the dark wood and the detail on the ceiling - how enchanting and inviting!Too bad we couldn't afford to actually stay here, but it sure was pretty to look at!

European Adventure Recap - Diplomatic Parking

Friday October 23, 2009

London, England

Of course, over here in the States, we're used to Disabled Parking, but the Diplomats Only Parking was a new one on me....wonder how many people in America would respect this and not park there?

European Adventure Recap - The London Eye

Friday October 23, 2009

London, England

Pictured on the left is the "London Eye"

It is a slow moving Ferris Wheel allowing for great views (and photo ops) of London from atop it's 443 feet structure. It is the tallest Ferris Wheel in Europe.

It is also "the world's tallest cantilevered observation wheel as the entire structure is supported by an A-frame on one side only."

Before riding the Eye, we went through a "4D Experience", which included these stylish 3D Glasses.....I think it was a way of having us wait in line without it feeling like we were waiting in line. They added a 4th dimension so it wasn't just your standard 3D experience. They blew air at us and sprinkled us with water....among other things. These little glass pods run along a track along the circumference of the ferris wheel. There are 32 pods total, representing each of London's 32 boroughs.

It rotates at 10 inches per second or about .6 mph. A full rotation takes about 30 minutes.

Up, up and away! This is looking down at the pod below us.

Here's the view of the inside of the pod. They carry 25 people. You can walk around from side to side and take pictures during the ride.

Here's the bottom of the A-Frame that supports the Eye.....pretty crazy that that's all that's holding this thing up....well that and the bracing cables you see.

A View of the River Thames

Don't look down!

The Bridge below is the Hungerford Bridge. The Thames runs right through central London, curving gently through the mass of buildings and bridges. At 215 miles, it is the longest river entirely in England and also flows through the cities of Oxford, Reading and Windsor (among others).

Pictured in the center of this photo is a small body of water that runs through St. James Park. It leads right to Buckingham Palace (the building right above the water). The building at the bottom of the photo is the British Foreign & Commonwealth Office.

At the top - 443 feet high - about to start the descent to the other side.

You can see the Houses of Parliament behind me right on the riverfront

UK Government Offices

Westminster Abbey

London Westminster Bridge House

County Hall of London

Shannon got some great views of the Houses or Parliament and Big Ben at Sunset!

Unless linked otherwise, all info was gathered from this site.

European Adventure Recap - Red Phone Booth!

Friday October 23, 2009

London, England

One thing I always think of when thinking of London are their famous Red Phone Booths

I didn't actually make a call......I was hoping to call my parents when Big Ben was chiming....but we just couldn't ever work out the timing. Plus, this particular phone booth was filled with trash and smelled like a urinal, so I didn't want to stay in there too long!

European Adventure Recap - Westminster Cathedral

Friday October 23, 2009

London, England

Westminster Cathedral "is the mother-church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Westminster. "

The Architect was John Francis Bentley The inscription on the front of the building roughly means - "Master Jesus the King and Redeemer, by your blood you saved us"

The inside was peaceful and somber - a mass was just finishing when we came in You can see the use of several colors of marble on the walls, columns and railings

It was colorful, but contrasted nicely with the dark ceiling

I'm not sure if this confessional is still used or not....seemed too public of a place to confess all your sins.....with sightseers roaming about.

This was a room along the side corridor - it is the "Chapel of St. Paul"

Here's an excerpt from the Cathedral's Website..."In this Chapel we pray for those who seek Christian belief, as well as those who spread the gospel, and all those persecuted for their faith." Since Paul was a tent-maker, the ceiling was made to look like the inside of a tent and the walls depicted Paul's conversion story.

This richly ornamented ceiling is located in the "Holy Souls Chapel". This chapel is dedicated to those that the Catholic Church believes are "awaiting final purification which will enable them to enter Heaven." (source) People come here to pray for the souls of people who have passed on, so that they might get into Heaven.

Of course, we know the Truth - that if you have asked Jesus into your heart and confessed your sins and accepted His grace and mercy, knowing that He is Lord and the one way to Heaven, we don't have to worry about praying for your poor soul that is stuck in the in-between.

But still, it makes for a beautiful Chapel.

The Baptismal Font

This is the corridor between the main Altar & Seating and the smaller Chapels