Official England

London, England. We’re revisiting places we’ve been, this time in a little more depth.

Our first stop was Westminster Abbey, taking the Verger’s tour. Covering 900 years in 90 minutes, this was a perfectly curated guide to the royal and famous who have graced its halls and spend their time here post-mortem.

The architecture is stunning at every turn. We stood in front of the altar where royals are crowned and married, and even saw the Coronation Throne, most recently graced by Charles III.

The crowds were very heavy, and the tour moved fast. With the exception of the tomb of the Unknown Soldier, all graves in the floor can be walked on, and it’s astonishing to see the personages you will encounter.

One item you can only see on a tour is the tomb of Edward the Confessor, who built this church originally around 1040. He had the distinction of also being a saint, and his tomb became a popular pilgrimage destination.

The many royals who were also buried here include Queen Elizabeth I, buried on top of her half-sister Mary Tudor, not affectionately known as “Bloody Mary.”

Mary, Queen of Scots, got a more magnificent sendoff, thanks to her son, James I. She is entombed in a chapel with several other noble ladies.

With over 3,000 people buried in Westminster, I suspect most visitors’ favorite group are those found memorialized at Poets’ Corner. These are people we actually know and often care about.

We were allowed to sit in the choir stalls, and soak in the sensation.

The Lady Chapel has an amazing fan-vaulted ceiling, looking brand-new after a thorough cleaning. The chapel honors the knights of the Order of the Bath.

It would take years to see and understand everything in this amazing building. We were just glad to learn a teeny bit more.

Next, we tackled Parliament. The tour begins in the Great Hall, the oldest remaining part of what was originally a royal palace. This is where many royals have lain in state, including Queen Elizabeth II, her father, and her grandfather.

The building has been through a lot, and most of what we saw in the key areas was refurbished in the Victorian era. No complaints about that – except for the fact that no photography was allowed beyond the Great Hall and the next reception room.

We were very lucky to be here on a day when we could visit both the House of Lords and the House of Commons. Very exciting to see where the sausages are made.

All in all, we are overwhelmed by history and the pomp that accompanied it. There were some deeply unsettled times, but Big Ben still chimes away the hours.

Don’s Food Corner

We had a light lunch at the cafe in the underground level of Westminster Abbey.

We both had cauliflower and leek soup. It arrived with an amazing amount of very finely snipped chives. It must have taken someone a very long time to cut all those chives crossways — so perfectly and so evenly.

While it was billed as a seemingly healthy-sounding cauliflower and leek concoction, it was actually an excuse to serve as a dairy delivery system. It was so rich that I thought it was actually a cheese soup with a few particles of cauliflower and leeks thrown in to make you think it was some type of heart-friendly starter to a larger meal. But, no, the waiter claimed there was no cheese. Just cream. I’d say lots of cream. This is not a complaint, but it was a (welcome) surprise.

We both jumped to dessert from the soup. Jo had an apple and “berry” crumble, with a scoop of rich ice cream on top. The type of berry used was indecipherable, as all the berry had melted away into the apples. I suspect raspberry. Whatever it was, it worked. The crumble topping provided a crusty balance to the soft sweetness below.

I went for an early cream tea. A nice pot of English Breakfast tea. And two rather hard scones, along with a nice helping of clotted cream and a small jar of strawberry jam. Another combination that works. And we expect to see more of the same in the weeks ahead.

Time for taste testing of these things as we travel around England and Scotland? If so, I’d start with a grade of B for this first encounter. I know they can do better. But we’ll have to see.