Letters From London : Puttin' On The Ritz

I prefer tea to coffee... so I knew London would be my cup of tea.

I really enjoyed my time in London… here are a couple of highlights!

I prefer tea to coffee… so I knew London would be my cup of tea. Talking about tea, afternoon tea while you’re in London is a must-do. The most iconic afternoon tea in London is at The Ritz…and it was absolutely fabulous! 

After afternoon tea at The Ritz, we went to the Andrea Bocelli and Royal Philharmonic Orchestra concert in Hyde Park, with special guests like Hans Zimmer. It was pouring rain ( typical London ) and the concert was cinematic and incredibly beautiful. I’ve been wanting to see Andrea Bocelli live, he is outstanding!

It was fun to see an active monarchy…the changing of the guards in front of Buckingham Palace, the Crown Jewels, which were stunning oh my goodness…I love all the royal outfits, memorabilia, jewels, and palaces it’s all so lovely! 

Westminster Abbey where all the royal coronations take place, and where royal weddings such as William and Kate’s took place, was nice to see. However, it’s protestant so I could not attend any of the services there. England is largely protestant. I went to The Tower of London, ( which is where the Crown Jewels are kept ) and there is a lot of history to learn about England’s split from the Catholic Church.

The cliff notes version : King Henry VIII wanted to divorce his wife, Queen Catherine of Aragon, to marry his mistress. The Pope told him no, that he could not divorce his wife… so King Henry VIII started his own church…and is known for being married six times. Protestantism in England began from divorce…and that is exactly what it is - the divorce of Christ and His Bride The Catholic Church. In a divorce the children tend to lose a strong bond with one of the parents, hence protestants have a strained relationship with Our Blessed Mother.

”To be deep in history is to cease to be protestant.” - Cardinal John Henry Newman 

Check out this book : "Rome Sweet Home : Our Journey To Catholicism"

I went to Mass at The Westminster Cathedral which is the largest Catholic Church in England and Wales. The reliquary of Saint John Southworth is there, who is one of the forty martyrs of England and Wales. The choir was one of the most beautiful choirs I’ve heard at a Mass, and is said to be one of the best in the world.

 Read about Saint John Southworth here : "St. John Southworth"

In short, London was lovely. I love the style of the architecture, the pubs are super cute, and I had a classy and fabulous time! 

While in England, I also visited Windsor, The Cotswolds, Bath, Oxford, and Stonehenge! To sum things up, I’ll do a “Letters From England.” 

Serviam