Dana sets forth on
the first of 259 steps...

...which lead up to the Whispering Gallery.

Photos are strictly forbidden
in the entire building, but
of course I snuck a few. 

the dome of the cathedral,
as seen while sitting
in the Whispering Gallery

windows and railing in
the Whispering Gallery

slyly aiming the camera straight up...

...while the guards are distracted

9:43 am

This level derives its name from its unusual acoustics, which cause whispers to echo around the dome.

After sitting on the circular
bench and soaking in
the gallery for a while...

...we climb up another
hundred or so steps...

...to reach the Stone Gallery, with its expansive views of the city.

Behind the cranes is the "Gherkin" building again.

a side courtyard of St. Paul's,
as seen from on high

I think that's The Monument
dead center, in the background.

a nice shot of the Millennium Bridge and the Tate Modern

Southwark Bridge and the Bankside Pier area

In some pics from yesterday, we're standing on that bridge and the dome we're on now is in the background.  Dig it!

There's a third viewing gallery,
107 feet higher than this one,
but it was closed today.

Spy the London Eye.

the Oxo Tower Wharf,
with Westminster Abbey and
the London Eye behind it

the interior face of one
of St. Paul's two towers

At the lower center (below the buses) is the entrance to the Club
Quarters hotel where we stay.

The two towers, not part of
the cathedral's original design,
were added in 1707.

beyond the Eye is
Westminster Bridge

another shot of Ludgate Hill Road, extending west

Above that window is the Golden Gallery, which we could not access.

It kinda looks like The Monument. 
It's a... Mini-Monument!

Below the cathedral floor is
the crypt, with numerous tombs
like this one.

The crypt of St. Paul's is the
largest in western Europe.

The walls and floor are lined
with plaques and tributes.

This one was cool to find,
after studying William Blake so much
as an English major.

At the east end of the crypt
is the OBE chapel.

a tribute to the cathedral's organist and his family

What a lot of chairs for inside a crypt.  Must be some sort of Christmas service coming up down here.

The OBE chapel was dedicated
to the Order of the
British Empire in 1960.

the side exit from which you emerge after a walk-through

"Hi.  I've emerged
after a walk-through."

pass through that arch and
you're back out on the street

Dana at the entrance to
our Club Quarters hotel

Room 438.  You can see
I made tea for us earlier.