Westminster Abbey

A few days back, I dropped 8£ and wandered Westminster Abbey. It wasn't a let down, exactly, as the building is massive and gorgeous and every corner has something worth looking at. Maybe I've just been in a few too many old, grand churches. I mean, I don't know enough about religion or architecture to really differentiate between St Pauls (been there) or say, Notre Dame (done that) so in a way, it's just more of the same.

Not my picture...

Following the tour in the free brochure guide, I walked around one part, looking at the tombs and memorial stones of historical figures, including Mary Queen of Scots and Richard III. Let me say this: dead bodies encased in stone do not make history come alive for me. (Although, "history coming alive" at Westminster Abbey could make for an extremely funny zombie flick. Simon Pegg, are you listening?)

After saying hi to entombed royalty, I found tourist favourite Poets Corner. (Is it possesive, plural or both? Hmm.) This is where the memorials to Chaucer, Shakespeare and Wandsworth are found. It is rather cool, to see all these names in stone. Of course, I sought out the Austen memorial, and was rather amazed to find that there is indeed one.

Other interesting thing is the Issac Newton memorial. It's odd to see a scientist memorialized in a church, given the idea (in modern times, at least, though I'm not sure about waaay back then) that science is the most secular thing, that it is the antithesis of religion.

Of course, then again, so was Byron, and he gets a plaque -- even tho it didn't go up until 1969.

Otherwise, while it's an impressive building, the religous grandeur is gettin a wee bit stale for me... maybe it's time for another trip to the Tate Modern... not much religiosity there, but lots of small white boxes...