Day 4: St. Paul's Cathedral & City of London Walk
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Everybody always talks about the pressure of playing at Wimbledon, how tough it is, but the people watching make it so much easier to play. - Andy Murray
Tennis is an individual sport, and I am quite a self-conscious person. - Andy Murray |
St. Paul's Cathedral
Spectacular views from the top of the dome at St. Paul's Cathedral
Walking Tour of "The City"
Following our trip to St. Paul's, we followed Chris and Roy on a walking tour of "The City," London's financial hub. We learned about guilds that were powerful influencers of London business in centuries past, and got to see the hustle and bustle of financiers today. Young professionals clad in suits darted out of coffee shops or office buildings on the way to modern glass buildings with funny nicknames like the Shard, the Heron and the Gerkin.
One of the unexpected wonderful moments of our trip was crowding our 24 member tour group into a glass mall elevator to ride to the top floor of the One New Change mall. Stepping around the corner on the open air top story we had a spectacular view of St. Paul's dome, which was almost precisely at our level. We could also peer across the cityscape for views of the London Eye and the Shard. We also got a fun surprise when we encountered a street fair in the roads surrounding St. Paul's and One New Change. Roy disappeared momentarily and then rejoined the group with several bags of jam and chocolate filled doughnuts. It was a perfect way to keep us energized for our walk!
One of the unexpected wonderful moments of our trip was crowding our 24 member tour group into a glass mall elevator to ride to the top floor of the One New Change mall. Stepping around the corner on the open air top story we had a spectacular view of St. Paul's dome, which was almost precisely at our level. We could also peer across the cityscape for views of the London Eye and the Shard. We also got a fun surprise when we encountered a street fair in the roads surrounding St. Paul's and One New Change. Roy disappeared momentarily and then rejoined the group with several bags of jam and chocolate filled doughnuts. It was a perfect way to keep us energized for our walk!
Group Lunch at Counting HouseThe Counting House Ale & Pie seemed a perfect place for a traditional British lunch. The former bank features a huge bar and traditional British pub fare in an environment that reflects its financial district surroundings. We feasted on crispy fish and chips and proper meat pies, then washed it all down with pints of ale. One impressive feat of British bartenders is their commitment to serving beers in a glass with the appropriate brand logo, something that few American bartenders bother with. Our sole complaint about Counting House was how much difficulty the staff had adding up our bills - an ironic problem for a former financial establishment.
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Championships at Wimbledon (on our own)
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A trip to Wimbledon - Wimbledon started out as an exercise in patience - waiting for the train, waiting in the queue, and waiting to get seats on Court 12. Luckily the whole experience proved well worth the wait. We sat only a few rows from Martina Navratilova as she argued with the umpire over the all-white dress code (she had small blue triangles on her skirt), and we got to see 120 mile per hour serves up close and personal. We also got our fair share of the classic Wimbledon experiences, including standing 6,000th in line in the queue (as we weren't able to purchase tickets in advance), watching a flashy Frenchman win a 5-set nail biter, eating strawberries and cream on Henman Hill, and sitting front row at a Bryan brothers match only to have it rained out.
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Read: Great Expectations, Charles Dickens's classic tale of a poor boy made good in a much grittier era before walking "The City"
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Watch: Shakespeare in Love about Britain's great Bard or Sherlock, the BBC miniseries set in London's financial district
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Listen: The Rolling Stones' The London Years, a compilation of greatest hits perfect for a train ride to the town of Wimbledon
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Taste: Strawberries and cream, the classic Wimbledon treat, and Pims, a fizzy, fruity cocktail
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