I had my first really decent night of sleep Saturday. Sun was pouring through my bedroom window Sunday and so out I went thinking I would go to see the Tower of London. My host L and I had a lovely conversation about the royals over breakfast. It seems that impressions of Diana are split among the population, and still a source of converation. She also said that there are a lot of people that of course think the monarchy should disappear but she said that they bring in the tourism dollars so people tolerate them. So here I went to visit the first royal residence of England!
When I first heard the name Tower of London, I had this vision in my mind of one tall structure, maybe like what Rapunzel lives in according to the fairy tale storybooks. The Tower of London instead is a fortress with many towers, a small church, living quarters, and even a private execution spot! The entry fee is steep at £16.00 (close the $32.00) but I thought it was worth it. I had debated on going because I thought I would wait for the family but I don’t think A. would have enjoyed it. In fact I saw a few girls her age standing there as the Yeoman tour guide gave his speech and they looked like their parents were subjecting them to a root canal without proper anesthesia.
I was noticing as we were following the tour guide that all of the tour guides seemed to be men of the same age range. At the end of the tour, the tour guide told us that one of the criteria to do his job was that you had to be a retired member of her majesty’s armed forces (22 years service).
The Tower of London has lots of dark history attached to it, like the fact that it was the site of poor Anne Boleyn’s coronation as well as her execution. Also there were two heirs to the throne, children, who disappeared and their bodies were found there in what is now known as The Bloody Tower. To add to the mystique, there are these enormous ravens that live around the first royal residence, known as The White Tower.
I walked into an archway called Bowyer Tower, which for some reason, in a tourist attraction filled with people, was completely empty and a chill ran down my spine. I got in the door long enough to read that someone had been murdered on that very spot before I scrambled out of there. Now it could have been the power of suggestion from that plaque or it could have been the chill you get when walking into these old stone buildings, but it truly creeped me out. No worries, I do not at all think I’m like a J. Love Hewitt Ghost Whisperer or Patricia Arquette Medium.
The one part of the tour that A. would have enjoyed was seeing the Crown Jewels. They are spectacular.
When I first heard the name Tower of London, I had this vision in my mind of one tall structure, maybe like what Rapunzel lives in according to the fairy tale storybooks. The Tower of London instead is a fortress with many towers, a small church, living quarters, and even a private execution spot! The entry fee is steep at £16.00 (close the $32.00) but I thought it was worth it. I had debated on going because I thought I would wait for the family but I don’t think A. would have enjoyed it. In fact I saw a few girls her age standing there as the Yeoman tour guide gave his speech and they looked like their parents were subjecting them to a root canal without proper anesthesia.
I was noticing as we were following the tour guide that all of the tour guides seemed to be men of the same age range. At the end of the tour, the tour guide told us that one of the criteria to do his job was that you had to be a retired member of her majesty’s armed forces (22 years service).
The Tower of London has lots of dark history attached to it, like the fact that it was the site of poor Anne Boleyn’s coronation as well as her execution. Also there were two heirs to the throne, children, who disappeared and their bodies were found there in what is now known as The Bloody Tower. To add to the mystique, there are these enormous ravens that live around the first royal residence, known as The White Tower.
I walked into an archway called Bowyer Tower, which for some reason, in a tourist attraction filled with people, was completely empty and a chill ran down my spine. I got in the door long enough to read that someone had been murdered on that very spot before I scrambled out of there. Now it could have been the power of suggestion from that plaque or it could have been the chill you get when walking into these old stone buildings, but it truly creeped me out. No worries, I do not at all think I’m like a J. Love Hewitt Ghost Whisperer or Patricia Arquette Medium.
The one part of the tour that A. would have enjoyed was seeing the Crown Jewels. They are spectacular.
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