July 11 : Our Final Day in Central London

We’ve found that restaurants in Ireland and the UK are far more advanced in providing food options for people with allergies. Marg has a sensitivity to gluten and at every restaurant we’ve been to there has been gluten free options available. At the two restaurants we went to today, our servers went out of their way to explain the options available and give Marg their personal recommendations. We’ve very rarely seen that type of service in Canada.

In the morning I decided to walk to Westminster Abbey. It was about a 20-minute leisurely stroll. It took longer to get through the queue to entry the Abbey.

The Abbey has been the coronation church since 1066 and is the final resting place of 17 monarchs. The church was begun by Henry III in 1245 and is one of the most important Gothic buildings in the England. More than 3,300 people are buried within Westminster Abbey.

This has also been the setting for many other royal occasions, including 16 weddings. Among the most recent events were the funeral of Princess Diana, and the wedding of Prince William and Catherine.

Among the highlights of the tour of the Abbey, for me, was the Poets Corner, Sir Isaac Newton’s grave, General Wolfe’s grave and the Abbey’s nave.

In the afternoon, we went to the British National Gallery. The works of art in the museum are fabulous. Among the more popular artists on display are Rubens, Gainsborough, Rembrandt, and Raphael. My favorite was a collection of four paintings by Joachim Beuckelaer entitled “The Four Elements.”  Marg was impressed by many of the Dutch masters. The one that stood out for her was “Still Life with a Lobster” by Willem Claesz.