"Following a vampire and an archaeologist to London" Trip Report COMPLETE About This Page:

[Colexis Mom]

Great pictures Sabine!!

[Disneybine]

Friday, July 17th – Part one: A royal beginning

We left home around 3:40am – which is waaaayyy too early for me We got to the airport in plenty of time so we grabbed a quick snack at the terminal before continuing on to our gate. I knew we were gonna be in a small airplane but I didn’t realize just how TINY that thing would be till we saw the 76-seat propeller plane. Add to that the fact that the pilot said something about bad weather, and I was ready to leave the plane before it even took off! It turned out to be a very bumpy flight indeed. I’m really not a big fan of small aircrafts.




I look a lot less scared than I was I'm used to huge planes capable of transatlantic flights...

We arrived at Stansted Airport at 7am (because England time is an hour behind German time) and boarded the Stansted Express train to London soon after.


The train wasn’t too crowded.

At Liverpool Street station, we transferred to the London Underground (which was extremely crowded due to rush hour) to get to our hotel. Since our room wasn’t ready yet, we dropped off our luggage and headed back out. It was 9 am by now and we were ready for breakfast. There’s a Subway right across Earl’s Court station, and they had a breakfast sub with bacon, eggs and cheese on it on offer that we both went for. It was very good! After that we took the Tube back into the city to get to the Tower of London.


This time, the tube line we took wasn’t busy at all.

At the Tower of London, we thought that £ 17 admission per person was pretty steep - but since we both wanted to see the Crowne Jewels, we paid it anyways. The fortress was bigger than I expected. The first pictures below were taken before we made our way inside.









Inside the fortress:


By the Traitors’ Gate


The White Tower (on the right) and the Waterloo Block (in the back)


The White Tower


Entrance to the Waterloo Block, where the Crown Jewels are kept. Unfortunately, we weren’t allowed to take pictures inside but let me tell you, those gems were amazing! We were particularly fascinated by the Great Star of Africa, a diamond of 530.2 carats. The vault doors through which you enter and leave were equally impressing, though.

Ok, I’ve got some trivia for ya:

How are the Crown Jewels related to the Twilight saga?

Anybody?






Manuel with a Yeoman Warder.


Manuel in front of the White Tower.






These huge ravens are an inherent part of the Tower of London. Legend has it Charles II believed that if the ravens were ever to leave the Tower, the fortress and the kingdom would fall.




Entrance to the White Tower, inside of which there was an exhibition of arms and armour in honor of the 500th anniversary of Henry VIII becoming King of England. Again, no photography allowed inside.



View of the London Bridge from inside the fortress.

London Bridge:





Tower of London from the outside


We thought this was an interesting building. Cheryl later told us what it was but unfortunately, I forgot.



For some reason, this view (below) reminded me of Harry Potter so I took some pictures:




Next: It's London, of course it rains

[Disneybine]

Originally Posted by Nimros

This is like seeing the teaser trailer for a new movie and then waaaiiitttiiinnng for the release date!!!

That's exactely what I intended Glad it worked

Originally Posted by lauriep

Michael Shanks looks a bit like Sting in the photo... does he in person?

I don't think so, no.

Originally Posted by Clare loves Stitch

Aw Sabine the photos look amazing ... was your DH getting jealous .... those guys are soooooo hot!!!

Luckily, hubby's not the jealous type. And yes, those guys were HOT!!!

Originally Posted by Wendyismyname

Looks yummy!

Just you wait, it gets better

[Colexis Mom]

Great pictures Sabine!! More please!!

[chezp]

Great update Sabine!

Despite the horror story you told us about the flight, the plane looks really nice - and so does the Stansted Express, it looks very roomy.

I'm with you about how expensive the Tower of London is - sadly, that's the case with a lot of attractions in the UK.

I'm surprised there was no photography inside the White Tower. I wonder if they've changed that recently, as we've always snapped away in there and never had a problem.

And the building you were trying to remember the name of - well, it's known by everyone as the Gherkin. I had to look up its real name, because I couldn't remember it, as it's the Gherkin but it's really called the Swiss Re building.

[OhToodles!]

What a great morning so far! Great pictures too!

[orionchika]

Great time!!!! Glad you had fun and were able to meet up with Cheryl and her DH... Glad they're feeling better!!!! Can't wait to see more pics..... Your transport modes seem very comfortable - except for the small plane.....

[PrincessSharon]

Sorry your flight in was a little difficult. I can say that I knew that building was called the Gherkin, but I didn't know it's actual name! Glad to see that the construction on the Tower Bridge wasn't as invasive as I'd feared. You got some great photos. More, please!

[lauren-roxy]

Great start Sabine!!! I'm not a big fan of prop planes either. Great photos!!

[goofysdtr]

Great update, Sabine! Sorry about the rough flight. I'd love to see the jewels. The Gherkin looks really cool!

[goofysdtr]

Oh, and how are the Crown Jewels & Twilight related? Inquiring minds want to know . . . well, at least this one does.

[lauriep]

Great photos of the Tower. I love roaming around there--and glad you took a photo of the raven, too.

Waiting for the answer to the trivia question... I have no idea!

[Wendyismyname]

Love, love, love the Tower Bridge. It is my favorite London Landmark!! Next time I'm there, I'm going up in it!

Your flight actually sounded wonderful and it wasn't crowded?? I'm exhausted though because you took a plane and then two trains, and then feet! You go girl!

Manuel looks so much...........healthier than the last time I saw him! You guys are such a cute couple

More! more! More!

Oh yeah, and I'm trying to remember the Crowne Jewels and Twilight. Love the Harry Potter reference too and I agree!

[Disneybine]

Originally Posted by chezp

And the building you were trying to remember the name of - well, it's known by everyone as the Gherkin. I had to look up its real name, because I couldn't remember it, as it's the Gherkin but it's really called the Swiss Re building.

Thanks, Cheryl!

Originally Posted by PrincessSharon

Glad to see that the construction on the Tower Bridge wasn't as invasive as I'd feared.

Still, nothing beats your awesome pics in front of the Tower Bridge!

Originally Posted by goofysdtr

Oh, and how are the Crown Jewels & Twilight related? Inquiring minds want to know . . . well, at least this one does.

I promise I'll post the answer to my trivia question if nobody figures it out... but I'm gonna wait a little while longer in case someone remembers

Originally Posted by Wendyismyname

Your flight actually sounded wonderful and it wasn't crowded?? I'm exhausted though because you took a plane and then two trains, and then feet! You go girl!

Nope, luckily, the flight wasn't crowded at all. Yeah well, plane, train, tube, walking - that's Europe for ya

Originally Posted by Wendyismyname

Manuel looks so much...........healthier than the last time I saw him!

To quote my favorite Jaffa: "Indeed." (I hope you've watched Stargate before because otherwise you'll have no idea what I'm talking about.)

Originally Posted by Wendyismyname

You guys are such a cute couple

Aw, thanks sweetie

[Wendyismyname]

Um, no ma'am haven't watched Stargate still!! However I have a niece who is crazy about it!