St Paul's Cathedral

La semana pasada, visitamos la catedral de St. Paul en Londres. El precio de las entradas es carísimo, en las mismas no se hace constar el horario para acceso de turistas y así ocurre que entramos una hora antes del cierre (sin que nadie nos advirtiera de ésto), ascendimos hasta la parte más elevada de la torre, (no se puede acceder en ascensor) y de allí, nos echaron porque se cerraba la visita al turismo porque hay servicios religiosos. Imposible ver el interior de la catedral, la cripta, etc. Sencillamente, te echan.

This is another very very impressive structure in London that can't decide whether it is a war memorial and monument to colonialism or a church. That being said, it is more of a place of worship than Westminster Abbey and you may find some corners that might inspire your soul a bit. If you want something that speaks to your spirit, I'd recommend St. Martin in the Fields near the National Gallery.

Although we arrived over an hour and 1/2 before official close, we were told that we couldn't have the audio tour (Included in the $20 admission--it's far from "free") because there "wasn't time" and that the steps to the dome "were already closed." We found all this out AFTER they had taken our money. (How "Christian" of a Cathedral!) Don't be ripped off like we were--arrive early. We came back for evensong, which was excellent. Most of the other worshipers were there for a high-society "Friends of the Cathedral" commemoration, but some obviously didn't know how to either participate in a church service or (sadly) how to behave at one for that matter--lets just say they had a difficult time controlling their talking. We got to speak to HRH the Duchess of Gloucester afterward which was a unique experience as an American tourist, I must say.

Overall, you must see St. Paul's simply because the British worked so hard to save it during the War if nothing else. Just be careful to get what you pay for.

St. Paul's appears to be the final resting place (or the memorial place) for every military officer above the rank of major-general who ever served the crown. While better "displayed" then the memorials in Wesminster Abbey, its still a bit unsettling to be in church and be constantly reading about one battle or abother!

Its a nice church, but not in the same class as, say, Paris's Notre Dame.