Dear Abbey,

I'm sorry if these blog titles seem lame, but I'm writing them at 12:00 at night, so they seem very witty at the time. Our next stop was Westminster Abbey, the most famous church in England and also the burial place for royalty. We were able to experience Westminster Abbey with the aid of an audio tour, which made everything make much more sense. The stunning detail inside rivaled anything I had seen in Rome, and it represented the truly incomprehensible wealth of the British monarchs. But, Westminster Abbey spanned far beyond royalty. Famous, writers, musicians, and scientists are buried here as well. One such person is George Frederic Handel, the composer of the Messiah. Directly above Handel's tomb stands a statue of the portly composer, holding a score to the piece "I know my redeemer Liveth" from the Messiah. One final discovery to note was the central nave of the abbey, the altar of which is framed by two statues, one to Isaac Newton, and the other to none other than Charles Darwin, the father of the evolution theory. I found it fascinating that someone whose views were supposedly in opposition to the church would be placed front and center. It really shows the acceptance of the Church of England of one of its own famous scientists, in spite of his views. I have a feeling you wouldn't find that at the Vatican.

 The exterior; no cameras allowed inside