Westminster Abbey

Tanto el palacio (donde se aloja el Parlamento británico) como la abadía son una de las vistas clásicas de la capital británica. No por haberlos visto muchas veces en fotos o en TV uno pierde la admiración ante tal majestuosidad. Visité la abadía por dentro y aunque la entrada es bastante cara (me costó 12 libras en Año Nuevo) merece la pena si te interesa la historia de la monarquía inglesa y británica, desde antes de la conquista normanda (año 1066) hasta la actualidad. Una grandiosa iglesia gótica donde cada esquina te enseña algo sobre ese gran país, sin duda uno de los más importantes en la historia de la humanidad. Cuando se visita, merece cojer un audioguía, que va contando todos los detalles (es gratuito, con la entrada). Lo único negativo que puedo decir es que había demasiado turista; siendo una de las atracciones principales de Londres es normal que esté bastante masificado, lo que siempre dificulta un poco apreciarlo de verdad.

For historical value, you probably can't find a place in London that surpasses Westminster Abbey. The list of famous personages that are buried or memorialized there would require a great deal of space and can be found elsewhere on the Internet. (Try Wikipedia.)

As a place of worship, however, it's a sad commentary on the state of religion in England. Lots of great monuments to kings, queens, unknown nobles and war dead, virtually nothing about saints or those who provided models of Christian virtue (excepting the statues far atop one of the entrances--you might miss them if someone didn't point them out). You are not allowed to visit the tomb of St. Edward the Confessor (who was also a king--I guess that's how he made it in) which might provide you with some connection to Christianity. Memorials to John and Charles Wesley--which might appeal to some Methodist tourists perhaps--were cordoned off and had folding chairs and tables stacked against them. I guess these guys are still not popular with Anglicans. Overall the Abbey is a fascinating study of how power and privilege usurped a place of honor in a religion that is supposed to be dedicated to the service of "the least of these."

Finally, you really need to get the audio tour because the "docents" are clueless.

This place is just a money making exercise. You go in, and pay £12+ and £5+ for a guide book,or pay for the price for an audio guide.If you don't,you might as well be blind, as there is no labeling.

Most of the Royal Tombs are totaly out of sight. You cannot visit them, as they are in the higher central section. You would need a ladder to view over the wall. You can see some tombs, but as I only had the expensive guide book, and not the audio, I don't really know what I was looking at.

Past the royal tombs, lots of the sights are faked, I mean that if you see a memorial to someone famous, the chances are, that they are buried eleswhere.

The tomb of the unknown soldier was more moving 15 years ago, when I didn't have to pay to get into the main church.

TIP If you want to light a candle, but don't want to pay the twenty pence, bring your own.