Date: 2008-02-01
To: ST Pauls
Miles today: 0.0

Got up early and headed off to St Pauls Cathedral, and it was one of the great experiences of my life. The size and grandeour of the building is hard to explain. The naive is massive, at the west end the doors are 30 feet high and weigh 2 tonne each. It was the first churched built after the reformation so it was built in the church of England style, nice and simple. Christopher Wren who was the architect was a great man of science and really understood geometry, and how to make an internal space look massive. Standing under the dome is incredible, it is hard to describe its size, it is so large, and the detail is stunning. The naive at the eastern end is very impressive, it is more in the style of a catholic cathedral with a roof of glass tiles that shine and sparkle as the light hits them. The whole things is so impressive and is by far the most impressive building I have ever entered, I know Peter would have loved it. The place is full of monuments to so many of Englands famous people, including Nelson, Churchill and Wellington. It is possible to climb upto the whispering gallery which is just under where the dome starts, and walk around the entire base of the dome. The staris up are a small winding spiral set of staris, and they are very tricky to negotiate. The whispering gallery is so far up, and looking down upon the church floor and all below is the most spectacular thing I have ever seen in my life. The dome is 365 feet tall, and I was puffing climbing the stairs, there are more stairs to climb to get up on the roof of the dome and then you can see some 360 degrees views of London, and there are few buildings that are taller in London. The wind was so cold, and the heights was a little challenging for me. THere is a final climb to the top, but I chickened out, my heart was racing fast enough. The decent was terrifying down these tiny spiral stairs. If I was much fatter I would not have fitted. It was off to Euston Station to catch the train to Bermingham, but there had been a crash and fire on the line, so I had to catch a big red bus through London traffic to Marlyebone station. Marlyebone is where Lords is located, so after some delays finally the train got going. The views of the countryside were breathtaking, and I even went past Webley stadium. Looks about half the size of the MCG. The coutryside was so green, like a picture book, gentle rolling green hills. Then we hit a snow storm, super exciting. Got off the train at Birmingham Moor street and had a short walk over to Birmingham New Street station and caught the train out to Smethwick Rolfe Street station where Gill was waiting for me. We jumped in her car and battled through the traffic with ice on many of the roads. Went on my first Motor Way, and then we went through some funny little streets as we approached Gills parents house in Worthen, it was more than an hour from the train station. The roads became so narrow and were so windy with hedges on each side, it is like driving in a narrow tunnel. When cars come flying around the bend from the other direction you just hope that you do not hit. There is now way you could fit two standard fords down the street. Gills parents were wonderful and they had a beautiful home that had views in both directions of the surrounding hills. Gills dad Ted is a huge cricket fan so we had lots to talk about. Gills mother Cynthia cooked up a prper English meal including a Yorkshire pudding with gravy. It was delicious, Gill went to bed at about 10pm, but I stayed up till midnight talking away to Gills parents, we talked up a storm and they were fabulous people, and made me feel so welcome. Cynthia completely spoiled myself and Gill, so it is not just my mother who behaves in such a way, it really did feel like home, but I was in the middle of the English country side. Ted was hilarious, a real character, and I enjoyed listening to many of his cricketing stories. Finally I went to bed exhausted.