Saint Paul's

Saint Paul's Cathedral was absolutely phenomenal. We took a guided tour which can sometimes be great and sometimes be terrible but today the tour was excellent. We were not allowed to take photos inside of the cathedral, but I enjoyed that because it really allowed me to focus on what I was looking at and really soak in everything first hand rather than looking at it through a camera lens. I learned some interesting facts about the cathedral that you may not have known.

• Saint Pauls was the first ever protestant cathedral.
• Christopher Wren planned and executed the creation of the cathedral, he was highly regarded and planned many of the famous buildings in London.
• The cathedral was constructed in a mere 35 years, this was quite the feat during a time when cathedrals typically took about a hundred years to complete. 
• It was decided to completely rebuild the cathedral after the great fire of 1666, the cathedral was completed in 1710. 
• Saint Paul's houses two famous bells. Great Paul is the largest freestanding bell in the country- weighing 17 1/2 tons. Great Tom is the bell that chimes hourly. 
• In 1937, the final two people to be buried in the crypt of Saint Paul's cathedral were Admirals Collingwood and Nelson. The two Admirals were buried side by side but actually hated each other during their lifetimes. 

We were extremely lucky to have visited on this day because our tour finished just as the orchestra was beginning to practice. I walked up to the Whispering Gallery and listened to the orchestra from high up in the cathedral. The acoustics were absolutely phenomenal and it was an incredible experience to gaze at the frescos on the ceiling while letting the music surround me completely.

Our photography focus today was architecture. We were supposed to think of unique ways of focusing on architecture. I took this photo after I walked up to the very top of Saint Paul's.