Today I am playing “non-tourist.” I took a Pilates class, got a cheeseburger from the neighborhood lunch counter, went tanning, and am off in a few for a Cricket game. It’s been an absolutely refreshing day.

However, I did stop off between Pilates and lunch for one touristy thing – the guided walk-through of Westminster Abbey. I can not believe I even for a moment considered skipping this tour.

The entire way home, I wondered how I would describe the Abbey (no photos allowed) and I finally settled upon the fact that there is no way to do it justice in words. There are many famous poets who have tried, and perhaps they are closer to truth in their descriptions. Inside the abbey it is just the most ornate, elaborate, beautiful, somber experience I have had anywhere. The graves of King Henry V, III, Queen Elizabeth Tudor, Chaucer, Lord Tennyson, Keats, so many of the greats that I read and learned about all through school. And the monuments and tombs for these people are incredible. 30 foot tall marble and ivory angels, and gilded ornate towers, 30 foot tall stained glass windows, everything is so detailed and beautiful and larger than I would ever have imagined.

And the history here is palpable. There is a worn stone on the ground marking the place where over 20 monks were buried who died of bubonic plague. The first coronation of William the Conqueror was held here in 1066, and there is tribute to him. So much has happened in this abbey, and if you ignored the throngs of tourists for just a minute, you could really feel it.

Again – I can’t believe I almost skipped this. I suppose it’s the first church of many, but this will be hard to beat. I wish I had planned to attend a service here.