Dome of St. Paul's

Sara, Ronnie and I visited St. Paul's Cathedral, Christopher Wren's masterpiece. No pictures are allowed inside, so I can't share the magnificance of the interior.

Bell Tower at St. Paul's

This is the Bell Tower at St. Paul's, from the ground. There's a matching tower with a clock, the Clock Tower.

Bell Tower at St. Paul's

And this is the same bell tower from the Stone Gallery, which circles the base of the Dome. Quite a different perspective.

The Keefer's at St. Paul's

A passing volunteer took our picture on the Stone Gallery. Many of the people working in the Cathedral are volunteers.

View from the Stone Gallery

The views of London from the Galleries at St. Paul's are well worth the effort of climbing the steps (530 steps to the Golden Gallery, which circles the top of the Dome). Here you can see traditional spires competing with modern London.

The Mount at London Bridge

AIFS sponsored a boat trip to Greenwich via the Thames. We passed under most of the major bridges that join north and south London, and of course the most (visually) famous, the Tower Bridge. There were a lot of interesting sights and architecture along the river.

London's City Hall

This modern building is London's City Hall. The locals don't seem to care for it. I heard it describe as being like a motorcycle helmet, and apparently they have an unsavory name for it, which no one will tell me (so far)!

Greenwich Observatory

We got to see the ball on the top of the Observatory rise just before, and fall at exactly 1:00 PM, as it does every day. At one time, ship captains on the Thames would use this signal to set their on-board clocks; now, like much of what happens, it mostly tradition.

Dining Hall at the Royal Naval Hospital

Also in Greenwich is the Royal Naval Hospital, a sort of Old Sailor's Home, which was roundly criticized when it opened as being much to nice for a bunch of 'old tars,' who were not highly regarded at that time. The Dining Hall is also known as the 'Painted Hall,' as nearly every surface has been beautifully painted.

Front of Dining Hall

This is the painting on the very front of the Dining. The King is in the center bottom of the painting. Note the man with his hand extended to the right of the king; this is a self-portrait of the artist, who had not yet been paid! His open hand to the rear means he thinks he deserves more than the contracted price, as well.

Chapel at the Royal Naval Hospital

The Chapel was also quite beautiful. Note the ornate pulpit at the lower right of the picture.

The National Maritime Museum

Our last stop in Greenwich. There are large speakers in the ground next to the path as you enter, playing the sound of waves crashing on the shore. Many interesting exhibit here, including a great deal about the great ocean liners, which have mostly disappeared.