Day 7 by Laura Contos

Day 7-
Today is the halfway point in our fourteen day trip. I think we were all feeling a mix of emotions. It's hard to believe that there is only one week left and, at the same time, I can't believe there is still a whole week left! Today we went to St. Paul's Cathedral which lies in the heart of city. St. Paul's Cathedral was finished in 1675 after thirty five long years of work. This Cathedral has no stained glass windows, no images of Saints, and nothing architecturally reminiscent of the Catholic Church which makes it unique; this was because it was built after the Reformation when King Henry the VIII broke away from the Catholic Church. This was a grand Cathedral. Afterwards, we ate one of the oldest pubs in all of London called Ye Old Cheshire Cheese Pub which has been around since 1667. It was dark, dank, and smelled as old as it looked. But the food was delightful!
After lunch we took a double-decker to West Minster Abbey. This was was an amazing church. Unfortunately, we were not able  to take pictures. However, I do not believe that a photograph could capture the true beauty of this famous place. Since the crowning of William the Conqueror here in 1066 the Abbey has been the official Coronation church. It is likely that we will get to see at least one coronation in our lifetime, maybe even two-Prince Charles and Prince William. The nursing students were privileged enough to gain access to the Florence Nightingale Chapel. There was a gorgeous stained glass window illustrating a nurse kneeling with palms outstretched, as though she was holding the whole weight of human suffering in her hands. It was a very powerful experience.
Later, I, and several other students, successfully navigated the tube system to visit the British Museum.  The sheer size of this place was overwhelming! I think a person would need at least a year to see all of the exhibits. We headed straight for the Egyptian, Greek, and mummy exhibits because each one held a particular interest for us. If we have the time we will definitely go back; there is just so much more to see.
Tomorrow we have our first full free day so we are carefully planning our adventures. London is such an amazing city; I can't wait to explore it more.  
--Laura