Day 13: Elementary, my dear Abbey

My poor feet and legs can't figure out what's going on. They don't seem to understand that I have a lot of ground to cover in a very limited amount of time. Really pissed off my poor tootsies today when my feet got soaked thanks to a lovely thunderstorm. But more on that later. 17,536 steps and 11.59kms were the Fitbit counts for today.

After my success with the tube yesterday, I decided to try it again today. I started out by heading to Baker Street to visit one of the most famous addresses in literary history: 221b Baker Street. Home to the renowned detective, Sherlock Holmes. It also marked the first line up I had to stand in today. While waiting in the short line, it started to rain. I put on my poncho, all was well. The museum was very fun. They're filled all the rooms with authentic to the period items, many of which are described in the Holmes books. The top floor is made up of mannequins, all recreating scenes from the books. The staff were all in period dress, including the "bobby" manning the front door. I quite enjoyed the place and the little shop next door was fun too.

After leaving the museum, I headed out in search of a public bathroom and found a very lovely one in a park. Best of all, it was free. The park was originally a church burial ground (until 1857) and is now a beautiful park with a rose garden. The roses smelt amazing and the breeze was picking up their sent. I sat on a bench and relaxed there for a bit, since it had stopped raining.

I then moved on to head into the core of the city so that I could visit Westminster Abbey. When I got out of the tube, it was POURING!!!! Why was it pouring? Because there was another thunder storm ( or possibly a string of them) passing by. The thunder was ground shaking kind of loud. Being London, there's a line up at most major attractions and despite the rain, there was still a line up at the Abby. So there I stood, in the thunderstorm, waiting to get into the Abbey. It was cold and windy. I only had to wait about 20 minutes but by the time I go in, the rain has soaked through my poncho and my one arm was soaked. As were my feet. I was still better off than some. Thankfully, the Abbey was warm and dry. A little crowded in spots but it was stunning. The Abbey is huge with all sorts of different wings and cubby spots. I was in awe being surrounded by so much history.  Being that it's a working church, on each hour, one of the ministers asks everyone to stop moving and be silent for a moment and then says a short prayer. 
I saw the tombs of Kings and Queens, including Elizabeth I and Mary, queen of Scots. I was really impressed by the resting place of Geoffrey Chaucer. It was quite ornate. I also saw the tombs of Charles Dickens, Charles Darwin and Sir Isaac Newton. One of the staff pointed out the spot where Stephen Hawking will be interred next month.

After taking a stroll through history, I stood in yet another queue to get a table in the cafe. It was 3pm by then and I was very hungry. Since the tables were scarce (largely due to the weather), I made friends with another solo woman in line and we shared a table for two. She was from Iowa and was in the Europe to celebrate her 50th bday. So we had a little in common.

After leaving the Abbey, I had to deal with the evening commute. The tube stations were really busy but I was able to get a seat on both of my trains.

This is a drawing based on the Holmes book "Hounds of the Baskervilles" is painted on the wall in the Baker Street tube station.

The weather for tomorrow isn't looking overly thrilling. It's supposed to be cloudy but there's only a 35% chance of showers in the afternoon. Buckingham Palace is on my "to-do" list for tomorrow. I'm hoping to be able to see the changing of the guard or parts of it. Not sure what else I'll do with my day. Perhaps a trip to Harrods!

But now my waterlogged feet and I need to log off and get some sleep. Tomorrow is my last full day in London. I can't believe how fast the time has gone!

Good Night,

Sarah
XOXO