Today was our first full day in London and we started it off with some great sites!
Today we went to Westminster Abbey which was even better inside than we'd imagined! We were truly wowed by it's magnificence: immaculate and intricate stained glass windows and beautiful plaques, statues and tributes to so many people. The audio tour is great and I was very excited to see the tombs of so many famous monarchs. Queen Mary (Bloody Mary, Henry VIII's eldest daughter) must still be seething over having Queen Elizabeth buried on top of her and especially the fact that the tomb on top of it all features the marble body and death mask of Elizabeth only! The gardens, Isaac Newton's memorial and the memorial to the unknown soldier were highlights.

We walked over to the Churchill War Rooms next. Used by Churchill and his his War and Defence Cabinets, the underground rooms themselves are in great condition. At the end of the war, the lights were simply turned off, for the first time in some rooms, and the doors locked shut. Consequently they're in great condition. Also the existence of these war rooms was never discovered by Hitler and the Nazis so it was never targeted by bombers. You can see the Cabinet meeting room, Churchill's office and bedroom, the transatlantic cable room which held a secure line to Washington, and the map room. All the maps are still there from 1945 and are the size if the walls. You can see so many pin holes in the maps from them tracking all the different position of their own and enemy troops. There was even a bedroom for Churchill's wife, which speaks volumes not only of her own bravery to be in the thick of it, but also of how important Churchill's family was to him. He relied very heavily on their support and his wife's advice. She was liberal, while he was conservative so I'd love to hear some of their debates!

I just thought I'd throw in a couple of great lines from Churchill that we loved:

Woman: You sir are drunk!

Winston: Yes. But in the morning I'll be sober, and you'll still be ugly!

or

Woman: Winston, if you were my husband, I'd put poison in your drink!

Winston: Madam, if I was your husband I'd drink it!

We headed back to Westminster Abbey for Evensong, a tradition that dates back nearly 600 years. Unfortunately the Westminster Abbey choir is on holidays, but the visiting choir from Dallas were fantastic and hauntingly beautiful. It was such a privilege to be inside the Abbey away from pushing tourists and be there for it's true purpose. You could appreciate the space so much better. Also one of the priests who held the service was the priest who met Kate Middleton as she entered the Abbey on her wedding day. It was such a lovely way to end the day.