Traveling home
The day was long, and everyone was exhausted.
Upon our arrival to London, the first item on the agenda was a tour of the historic St. Paul’s Cathedral.
We didn’t feel an ounce of jet lag, thanks to the immense excitement and anticipation that filled us. We were ready to explore. It didn’t matter that we had just gotten off the most uncomfortable, eight-hour flight. As soon as our feet touched the London ground, all signs of fatigue vanished.
Immediately after dropping our luggage off at the hotel, we began to make our way to one of London’s most coveted sites. We congregated in the lobby as we waited for members of the group to freshen up. We changed out of the wrinkled clothing we sat in for almost an entire day. We knew we’d be getting some amazing photos at St. Paul’s, and we wanted our appearances to reflect that.
As we exited the hotel, our eyes lit up while walking the streets of London, many of us for the first time ever. We walked along a long, narrow bridge that overlooks a large body of water filled with boat tours and barges that pick up trash, ensuring the city’s water remains clean.
Off in the distance, we began to see a magnificently huge building with a beautiful dome that sat elegantly on top. Some questioned what building we were looking at, and we quickly received our answer. There stood St. Paul’s Cathedral in all its glory.
Our tour guide, Andy Rashleigh, greeted us with a warm welcome and began describing to us how miraculous St. Paul’s truly is. Amidst the Blitz, the eight-month period when Germany conducted large-scale bombing raids against Britain, the nearly 345-year-old church constructed in the 17th century took a slight beating, yet remained standing, tall and proud. The foundation of the cathedral isn’t a very sturdy one, due to the fact that the entire city of London was built on top of mud, making the survival of the centuries-old church even more astonishing.
“For the most part, it survived,” Andy said, pointing to a window that was replaced after being destroyed by an explosive bomb, taking out the cathedral’s high altar.
Making our way inside, I was amazed to see how beautiful and intact the church was. Black white tiles lined the floors, and hundreds of people walked around. Some prayed in silence while others chatted excitedly about the beauty of the building. As my eyes gazed up, my jaw dropped, floored by the immense detail in the paintings of the ceiling. I stood in disbelief wondering 1) how they even got up that high in the first place, and 2) how long it took. Regardless, I was stunned, and I had to see more.
Thus began our long trip up countless number of stairs. We walked slowly up the uneven and narrow staircase, stopping frequently to catch our breath. After the extremely long day of travel, I started to second-guess my decision. I wanted to turn right back around and sit; however, something told me I’d be missing out on something awesome.
As our group finally reached the top of St. Paul’s, my intuition proved me right. The view was remarkable. We looked out to see the city stretch on for miles and miles. Iconic sites such as the London Eye, London Bridge and the British Parliament were within an eyeshot. We stood there in silence, basking in the view.
“Yeah, the stairs were worth it,” I thought to myself.
