Quote Of The Day

"Victory goes to the player who makes the next-to-last mistake - Chessmaster Savielly Grigorievitch Tartakower (1887-1956)"

Thursday, August 19, 2021

Westminster Abbey…

Last Saturday afternoon Stuart and I wandered down to Westminster Abbey in London's glitzy Parliament Square to take a look around, take in their 'hidden' tour, and go up to the gallery.

Oh my word. It is amazing.

I'd not been to the Abbey since I was knee high to a grape fly (50 years ago?) and although I suspect not much has changed there, my perceptive certainly has. It was simply jaw-dropping. Going into one section with all the gold and flags and ornate trappings my jaw actually fell open. It took my breath away. The guide on the door to that section saw me clutch my pearls and said, "I know! We get a lot of that."

Ok, ok, the hidden tour was great; freshly dug up skulls, plentiful human remains, hidden rooms, private courtyards, concealed staircases, a secret library - all very Da Vinci Code.

Yes, yes, the gallery was fantastic; awe inspiring views of the Abbey floor below, death masks of various kings and queens, glorious robes, shining armour, dazzling jewellery and funny statues - oh and a Roman sarcophagus from before the Abbey was founded by Edward the Confessor.

But it was the Abbey itself that floored us; the sheer majesty of it all - the views, the huge arches, Poet's Corner, the stained-glass windows (David Hockney's looking pretty cool), great coffins of all those kings and queens, beautiful sleeping statues, all that gold, all that history. It was all so damned exciting.

Definitely worth a visit. Treat yourself.






















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