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Today I went back to the City of London to try to find the Temple Church which was built by the Knights Templar (from The DaVinci Code). After walking around for ages I gave up and headed back towards St Pauls Cathedral. On the way I came across a signpost that said 'Temple Church' pointing exactly where I came. (great)
Anyway paid 8.50 to get into St Pauls Cathedral as I wanted to climb up into the dome to get a good view of London (another alternative and cheaper than the London Eye). I couldn't take any photos inside the cathedral, but it was breathtaking. This is where Prince Charles and Princess Diana were married and also where the coronations take place. The Domes, Cathedral Floor and the alters are sooo pretty.
Downstairs is the crypt which holds the memorials and tombs of important people. Lord Nelson and the Duke of Wellington's tombs are there as well as Christopher Wren (the architect that designed the cathedral)
I next walked up 259 steps into the Whispering Gallery where apparently you can hear someone whisper from the other side of the dome.
Next stop was the Stone Gallery, another 119 steps up. This level was outside where you got a nice view of London.
I walked up another 152 steps up to the Golden Gallery which was another outer viewing platform. It was so tiny and cramped and with the number of people there, a little scary. After quickly taking some photos I decided it was safer closer to the ground so I slowly made my way down.
Decided to try and go back and find Temple Church which I managed to find. Many of the buildings in the City of London was destroyed during The Great Fire/The Blitz as was this church but was rebuilt by Christopher Wren (same dude that designed St Pauls... I'm starting to like this guy!)
Inside the church were effigies of soldiers as depicted in The DaVinci Code. The 'Reverend and Valiant Master of the Temple'(Pretty much the priest but that is the 'official' title) gave a little talk about history of the church and The Knights Templar. Apparently he was depicted in the book to be ill tempered but he claims he is not.
After that made my way over the Millinium Bridge (not so wobbly anymore) and went to the Tate Modern. I'm pretty sure I could make some of those modern pieces of art too and put a story behind it! Anyway, there were some very cool pieces of art/flim /sculptures in there. My favourite is a room with silverware that had been flattened and hung by string from the ceiling.
Anyway, that was pretty much the end of my day, my feet were pretty dead after all that walking. Made my way back to the hostel around 5pm and grabbed some dinner.
Tomorrow I'm off to Paris on the Eurostar!
Cheryll/Jess: Palmers Lodge isn't too bad, yes, the shower on my floor does flood a little, but apparently the beds and the breakfasts here are pretty good compared to other hostels.
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