Public Transport Rocks!

I had forgotten how much I missed commuting by train and the underground (fond memories)...of course, what I've noticed about the tube in London that is different than the underground in Glasgow is that it is a huge network of trains and tunnels and directions where Glasgow is basically just a loop and it not only travels underground but above ground too. Anyways...today we embarked on an adventure of riding the London underground to the Tower of London and then to St.Paul's Cathedral. We each purchased an all day ticket for £4.70 so we could ride it whenever and wherever throughout the day. Talk about getting your moneys worth of public transportation...we became pros today as we read schedules, passed our tickets thru the turnstyles, braved the rushhour foot traffic (and by the way...though I had experienced living in the huge cities of Seattle and Glasgow...I've never been in the midst of so many people going so many places in such a hurry all in the same space! Amazingly intense! we learned quickly to stay to the left (remember we're in the UK) when walking, but to the right when riding the escalators down down down down down underground and then up up up up again (so people could quickly pass by). It was standing room only in the cars and a rush of people (like blood thru an open artery) once the doors opened to the platform. Fun fun fun!!!   I'm so amazed at how efficient the trains are here. Boggles my mind!   We had a wonderful time at the Tower of London....did the guided tour, saw the Crown Jewels (did you know that the diamond on Queen Elizabeth II scepter is the largest diamond in the world?), we had a bite to eat at the cafe and...used the toilets. Funny isn't it...we used the toilets at the Tower of London (yes, I  know it's a normal function one performs...but it seemed so...common in such a historic and important place). Oh...another funny thing was there were these large ravens on the gardens...and they strutted along as if they were part of the Royal Guards...making noise, pecking the stone walls and staring at us. Eeery actually. Reminded me of the Edgar Allen Poe poem. Rap Rap Rapping on my chamber door.....   Our next stop was St. Paul's Cathedral. Absolutely spectacular inside...so ornate and beautiful. It was so nice to just sit and look up viewing the beautiful paintings all over the ceilings. Prince Charles and Princess Diana got married there...and I had a moment of "oh my goodness...I'm walking where Princess Di walked!" *gasp! We strolled thru the crypt reading names of those buried underneath....and came upon a gift shop and a cafe...called "The Crypt Cafe"...that cracked me up and I had to take a picture of the sign (even though I wasn't supposed to have my camera in the Cathedral). Oh...funny story...you guys know that I'm a confirmed Episcopalian, so being in this most famous Anglican church (where the Anglican church was founded by King Henry the VIII), was such a blessing to me. It was nearing 4:30pm, the organ music was beginning to play and I was strolling past the alter area back back back along a side corrider (it was an open way to the public...but apparently only during certain times) and I was just caught up in all of the splendor of all the ornate columns and stuff, which brought me to the actual inner altar area (which is enclosed from the rest of the altar area)...the door was open so I kept walking on in (which it was okay...it was a path behind the altar where they have a memorial for fallen American soldiers from WWII) but knowing me, stuff has to happen...and just as I was rounding the other side of the altar a black robed priest came up to me and motioned for me to go back the way I came (as I saw another priest close the huge inner sanctum doors)...OH MY GOODNESS! I was being booted out of the Holy of Holies in St. Paul's Cathedral! I ROCK!!!!   Anyways, so that's my stories for today.We rode the tube all the way back again and now we're getting ready to go to another pub for dinner...The St. George. Oh...and last night we went to a pub called The Victoria (we had roast chicken, roasted potatoes, peas & carrots, Yorkshire pudding, and ale) YUM! I wonder what English cuisine we'll eat tonight?   Oh...tomorrow we will be traveling by train up to York to look around and then continue on by train up into BONNIE SCOTLAND! We'll stop in Edinburgh (where we'll be staying for 3 nights). Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh...I can't wait to see Scotland once again!   So next email will be from the wee land of bagpipes! Bless you! Thanks for you prayers...and I'll keep you posted as much as I can. Cheers, Lisa