London - Day Two

Two days is NOT enough time to spend in London; so we had to prioritize and decide what we should see. We decided the Tower of London was a must! We headed out early morning and began by getting on the wrong tube line. I still don't understand how I misunderstood the sign -- but as soon as we got onboard and I checked the diagram I realized we were on the Metropolitan Line not the Circle Line. It wasn't a big problem -- we simply got off at the next stop (a long ways) and boarded the Circle Line to complete our trip. The subway car made some horrific noises, lights went out periodically, we kept stopping and the engine would quit, and they finally announced after the next several stations that there were problems and the next station would be the last stop; one station shy of our destination. Actually the problem wasn't with the car but rather with the station or tracks. Anyway. . .we asked how far to Tower Hill and were told 5 minutes walk -- which it was.

This next picture is for Glenn & James. Does it look as good as the trebuchet you worked on a few years ago?

Upon entering the fortress grounds we took a tour with a Yeoman Warder. Ours had a typical "Brit" sense of humor -- we were told the letters on his uniform stood for "Expert in Romance". The tour is about 1 hour long and is very informative and enjoyable -- we weren't looking at our watches thinking "is it over yet?"

We were advised where to go and what we "had" to see.

We weren't able to see the changing of the guard as it is only every other day in March, and we made the choice to visit the Tower of London. However, we did get to see, up close, one of the Queen's guard in front of the building that houses the crown jewels. He looked incredibly young and has a drill where he stands at attention for a bit; then marches back and forth multiple times before returning to his post.

Our Yeoman Warder said he held this position for 23 years. He informed us that they are real people, not statues or actors and they are highly trained, self-disciplined, educated men, with real guns that they know how to use!

This is the White Tower, over 1000 years old and pretty amazing. It had a sort of self-guided tour where you went up, up, up and saw an 11-century fortress chapel, the original armours worn by Henry VIII, an exhibit on weaponry and an exhibit of the King's Horses. The horses are all carved out of wood and show the different type of horses each monarch rode. The great halls are pretty close to original although restoration work is now being done on the Tower.

We climbed up a tower, similar to the one in the foreground of the pix with the Tower Bridge in the background. The staircase was curved, about 2 feet in diameter, no guard rail and seemed to go on forever. It was a bit claustrophobic but pretty neat as it wasn't changed from what it was like 1000 years ago.

From 1000 years in the past to the present --A visit to a shopper's mecca: Harrod's!!

We had intended to try to do Kensington Palace as well as the Tower of London but decided it just wasn't possible. By the time we boarded the tube it was already past 2 pm. So we decided that tea at Harrod's would be a nice break.

Tea was lovely! After that we "shopped" a bit. Note to Glenn: a package will be arriving from Harrod's! It is a pretty amazing store -- we particularly liked the Pet Kingdom. The next picture is a little bitty chaise lounge -- for one's favorite pet. PS. That will be arriving shortly as well. NOT! We didn't even look at the price.

One of the many escalators going to the tube lines: notice the height. James and Glenn -- you would be proud! Even with my fear of heights I managed all of them -- I just look to the side and Julie lets me know when it is almost time to get off. And this with people rushing by. The tube is a busy place; those with fear of heights or crowds -- just avoid during rush hour. IT IS A GREAT WAY TO GET AROUND LONDON!!!