Expressions and experiences - London / UK / Paris COMPLETED About This Page:

[RobDVC]

Love the shots of the view from the Tower and the Beefeaters!

[DrDolphin]

The more I read this - the more I want to go to London!!

[lauren-roxy]

Terrific photos!!!

[rescuesk]

Getting through the gates in the tubes is kind of like getting through the gates at WDW...Steve is eternally waiting for my card to not work so he can catch it on film! Fortunately, I had better luck in London than I usually do at WDW. (My parkpass invariably touches a magnetic strip somewhere, deactivating it and sending the CM's into a frenzy of guest relations activity. And yes, it is on video, at least three times. )

The Tower was very cool! It was, what, about 100 years old or so?

[stretch2864]

I love the photos with the Beefeaters! More please!

[Nimros]

Outstanding photos!! You really have an eye for capturing wonderful angles.

I'm ready to go buy a U.K. travel guide.

[mcc0313]

Pictures were wonderful....London is beautiful at night

[chezp]

Originally Posted by rescuesk

The Tower was very cool! It was, what, about 100 years old or so?

Hmmm yeah... something like that. Add an extra zero on the end and you're about there!

[chezp]

Monday 5 May – part two: “this would be better if it was a wine rack – then I’d feel at home”

There was no line to enter the Jewel House, which was perfect. This is very much like a Disney attraction, with lots of waiting areas, showing videos of the Crown Jewels. We have seen people lining up on busy days to get in here and I dread to think how long the wait is then to actually see the Crown Jewels. They’re a spectacular display and it’s another one of those moments when you feel proud to be British – there are surely very few countries that have collections like this, dating back over so many hundreds of years? Unfortunately, there are no photos in here, but I know that Sue got a few postcards after we came out, so hopefully she’ll share those in her trip report to give you an idea of what you see in there.

When we came out, we headed for the White Tower, which was the first part of the Tower of London to be built, dating from 1097. It’s packed with displays from the Royal armouries, including guns and swords, which make for some dramatic images. It’s got more in there than you first think and it does take some time to go round it all.


No prizes for guessing what this was used for!

Very much a Royal flush – yes, it was a restroom in the Medieval Ages!

Notice anything standing out here?

Steve checks out how he sizes up to the armour!

Although this contained swords, it looked like a wine rack at first glance, which led Sue to say “this would be better if it was a wine rack – then I’d feel at home”


At the end, there’s now an interactive area, which is new since the last time we visited. It was a lot of fun, when you could get near the stuff, with the foreign students around. I know Steve and Mark had some fun in there!

Our next stop was the Scaffold site, where a number of famous people lost their lives:



Our next few steps took us underneath the sign for the Bloody Tower, so named because of all the blood believed to have been spilt in here. That includes the two boy princes, heirs of King Edward IV, who were locked in here by their uncle in the 14th century. Their uncle went on to claim the throne and the princes were never seen again, although skeletons of two boys were found a couple of hundred of years later. Well, when Mark asked to get a photo of the three of us, we couldn’t resist a silly photo opportunity at Sue’s expense, bearing in mind the history of the tower we were standing in front of:



We then headed into the Medieval Palace, which was created by King Henry III in 1220. I don’t recall seeing this on our previous visits to the Tower, so I was fascinated by this place. It’s been recreated to look how it would’ve done all those centuries ago.



Then it was out on to the battlements, the main wall that runs around the Tower of London. This probably one of my favourite parts of the Tower of London, as you can get some great views, not just of the Tower, but the sights outside, particularly with the City of London and Tower Bridge nearby. From here, you can also see the contrast between the two different worlds – the Tower, so beautifully preserved, yet completely surrounded by the real world outside, almost right up to the tower walls. In fact, on one side, the road running up to Tower Bridge runs right next door. It’s quite a clash of worlds in a way and is fascinating to see.




Next: “What’s going to happen to me?”

[emtpej]

It is really interesting to me to see how much and how little living conditions for the wealthy changed between the 13th century palace and 18th century Mount Vernon.

[Wendyismyname]

Another great update!!

[Colexis Mom]

Fascinating pictures

[Nimros]

What history! I can understand how proud you must feel to be part of this country.

I can't wait to show the photos of the armoury to my DH!!! I know he could have spent an entire day there.

[RobDVC]

Great pictures, and thanks for providing a lot of historical details to go along with them.

[lauren-roxy]

Fantastic photos!!