27 Oct 2022
Ric is a lively and supremely well-informed guide, who shared insights, historical perspectives and fun facts about his subject, which in this case was St Paul's Cathedral, its place in the history and lives of the people of England.
We started in front of the cathedral, following the clues that the exterior gave us as to the times when the cathedral was built and the people who made it. This continued inside, with the architecture put into the context of its times, and the builder's intention fusing the great Catholic churches in Rome with the sensibilities of Protestant England. Ric told us about its history from then on, through world wars, its special significance to our American allies, and noted visitors including MLK (who preached there) and Felix Mendelssohn (who practically had to be dragged away from the organ). This was supported by slides on Ric's iPad, and presented to our children (9 and 12) in a way that stretched their attention span, but did not exceed it.
Then we walked up to the Stone Gallery, with a unique view of the City of London, and further to the Golden Gallery (the top) before descending to the crypt, where we saw the tombs of many of the great and the good that our children had learned about in history.
I had never been to St Paul's before, and had looked forward to this trip, while expecting to need to cut it short to compromise with my children's stamina. In the end, Ric led us around for the best part of 2 hours, and gave us an enjoyable, and memorable time.