Even though we've been living in London for over three years now, we only recently took the time to visit St Paul's, one of the most beautiful cathedrals in the world.
When we first arrived in London we spend the first few weeks exploring as much as we could, ticking off places like the Tower of London, Big Ben and Harrods. But there are still lots of places on our list to tick off, hopefully we can see them all before we eventually go home.
Blackfriars station
We woke up super early and headed out to make it there before 9.00 a.m., so we could appreciate it before it got too busy. We managed to pick one of the windiest days possible, but carried on anyway, even if it meant we couldn't go up the top for fear of being blown off!
We got off the tube at Blackfriars station and walked across Blackfriars bridge to the south side of the Thames.
There aren't too many people up at 8.30 a.m. on a Saturday morning, so it felt like we had the whole city to ourselves.
We came to the Millennium Bridge and crossed back over to the other side of the Thames, getting some amazing photo's of St Paul's in the morning sun.
The bridge has the nickname of 'The Wobbly Bridge' for good reason. Walking across it in strong winds, like the ones we had, means the whole bridge moves in an extremely unnerving way. When the bridge was first opened in 2000, it had to be closed for two years to eliminate the wobbling feeling.
Obviously it's safe to walk across now, but they definitely didn't get rid of all the wobbles!
St Paul's is beautiful both inside and out, but unfortunately no photos are allowed inside. It's understandable, but a shame as the interior is so stunning, with stained glass and an amazing view right up to the top of the dome from the Cathedral floor.
St Paul's in its current form was rebuilt after the Great fire of London in 1666, and the spire of the old church replaced with the current dome design.
St Paul's is famous for remaining standing even after being targeted by bombs during the Blitz in 1940 and 1941.
If you are a tax resident in the UK, you can gift aid the fee to enter which enables you a years entry on the same ticket. We thought this was a pretty good deal, so you'll probably see a lot more photos of St Paul's in the coming months.
Unfortunately as it was super windy, we didn't manage to go right up to the top of the dome to the outside viewing area, so we'll have to go back on a less blustery day!
We spent the rest of the day exploring the area around Farringdon and Clerkenwell, both an easy walk from the City of London.
We visited Exmouth Market for the first time. Not really a market, but a street full of independent boutiques, cafes and restaurants.
London is a bustling city, with a population of approximately 8 million people. Some days, and in certain parts of the city it can feel like you are surrounded by people on all sides and its hard to get your breath and take a break.
But regardless of how busy the city is, we find there are always places that seem devoid of any people. Usually only one or two streets off the main roads. These are always our favourites.
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