Wow, what a great first day in London! We visited some great sites! My favorite was by far St. Paul’s Cathedral. The  detail in the facade was something to really admire.

Perspective facade

the interior spaces were also something to really observe.. The detail in the embellishments up the walls and ceilings were phenomenal in every way. I attempted to sketch some of this when I say and observed The Middlesex Chapel

Middlesex Chapel

The real excitement was of course the progression up to the top of the dome of the cathedral. First I stopped at the Whipsering Gallery to try and sketch St. Paul’s ground floor from above which was actually  quite challenging.  Then of course I continued on to the Stone Gallery and then onto (with burning shaking legs) to the tippy top Golden Gallery for the best view of the city!

Blurred view from the Stone Gallery

I also really enjoyed visiting the Barbican earlier in the day. I really appreciate water features so the water was a real treat! I got some great pictures. I also really liked how the greenery and plants were

Greenery at The Barbican

mixed in with the concrete facade on all of their back patio spaces.

The Barbican water feature

To end the evening Rachel, Cori, Trace and I went out to find a quaint British pub where we ate dinner and enjoyed each other’s company. The pub was called “The Court” and wasn’t too far from the hotel.

The Court

Overall, it was a fabulous day and a fantastic way to start to get to know London.

Overall stats from day one

Overall stats

It was very exciting to be in London for the first time, because there is so much history throughout the city. We started our day off with a short walk near our hotel, which included seeing the AA (Architecture Association). Later during the evening and a visiting student who is friends with CeCe gave us a tour of the studios. Seeing the AA was really exciting for me, because I had spent the first part of this semester doing research about it during its prime under Boyarsky.

We took the bus over towards St. Paul’s cathedral,  but before going in we walked over towards the Barbican Center. I was so impressed with how well the center was layed out and how pleasent it was to be in the courtyards. I have always know brutalist buildings to be slightly heavy and uninviting, but this complex was a complete gem. It really further deepened my appreciation for brutalism, although I have always been a fan.

On the way toback towards St. Paul’s we saw some parts of the old Roman walls. It helped as a reminder of just how old this city really is and how impressive it’s structures have always been.

Finally we made it to St. Pauls, which was extremely impressive. The sheer size of the cathedral is overwhelming and is by far the largest I have been inside. What was really amazing was that you could climb all the way to the top and get a glorious view of the city’s skyline. The engineering involved in creating the domes is phenomenal amd it was great to see it up close. Although, I do think I preferred the crypts, partially becau

se there were less stairs and partially because they were simply elegent. The ornate decorations of the cathedral are toned down, letting the bones of the architecture speak for itself.