Westminster Abbey, Tate Britain, & London Walks Jack the Ripper Tour | London, England

I began my day by visiting Westminster Abbey. 

I definitely recommend touring the Abbey first thing in the morning and arriving before the opening time stated online. Even though the website said it opened at 9:30 am, I arrived at 9 am and there was already a group of people waiting outside the gates. At 9:15 am, the gates were opened and everyone went through the security line. At 9:30 am, the doors to the Abbey opened and we were let inside to purchase tickets. Even though I arrived 30 minutes early, there were 20-30 people ahead of me in line. 

I chose to go on the guided tour and it was fantastic! The guided tour was an extra £5 in addition to the £22 admission ticket, but it was well worth it. I went on the 10 am tour and even with only visiting the highlights the tour lasted 75 minutes. Our guide was knowledgable, charming, and showed us a few areas of the building the public doesn't get to see on the audio tour. Because I visited during Lent, many of the paintings and altarpieces were covered with cloth (something to keep in mind).

People are buried under the floors throughout the entire structure.
During your entire visit, you will be walking on graves.

Also, Westminster Abbey doesn't allow photography inside the church building, but you can take photographs in the cloisters and garden areas. The day I visited, the church was closing early because they were going to broadcast the evening song live on the BBC and needed to set up the equipment. Therefore, I didn't have enough time to visit the museum on the second floor.

Westminster Abbey is an iconic London church and full of history. I absolutely recommend visiting in on your next trip to London!

After lunch, I explored Victoria Tower Gardens and strolled down Millbank Street taking pictures until I needed to be back at the Tate Britain to oversee the installation of the van Gogh painting. 

Big Ben being restored

Uncrating and installing the painting went smoothly, and because I was the second to the last courier for the exhibition I was able to get a sneak peek of the show. After my official courier duties were complete, I explored the rest of the Tate Britain.

My final adventure for the day was the London Walks Jack the Ripper Tour. Our tour guide was fantastic! He shared interesting information and had a good sense of humor. This tour goes down dark alleys, not "pretty" or "touristy" places, and the subject matter isn't always pleasant (Jack the Ripper was a serial killer who viciously murdered several people); however, the material was handled well and it wasn't unnecessarily gory. It was an interesting tour and I highly recommend it, but I probably won't go on that particular tour again, lol.