Our Day 6 In London

Tower of London

Today was our day to learn the Underground. We could have taken a scenic tour across London with the bus, but this morning we wanted to get to our destination as quick as possible, in which case, the Tube is your best bet. A tunnel is a tunnel, but the Tube does get you across distances fairly quickly.

We were off to the Tower of London.

The story of the Tower of London, is the story of England. When the French Norman, William the Conquerer invaded and conquered Britain, he built the original Tower, now called the White Tower. King after King, with a few notable Queens, all played their parts here at the Tower of London.

Being a tourist site we expected line ups, in which case it is always best to get there early. We like to take our time, and not rush, so we expected lineups. We were pleasantly surprised to wait only a few minutes to purchase our tickets.

There is much to see at the Tower of London, but we were advised that to beat the crowds, we should go and see the Crown Jewels first. Finding the place on our map, we made our way there. We still had to walk quickly up and down the crowds control barriers, but were so happy that there were no crowds. Inside, we again had to zig zag through a couple of rooms filled with crowd control aisles. We could only imaging how tiring it would have been had we had to wait.

The highlight, is a row of cases displaying the various crowns and regalia. Two moving side walks carry on lookers either behind or in front of the case. A third walkway in front has panels describing each case and it contents. Take a first pass on the moving side walk and be amazed. Then walk back and read the panels for a deeper understanding, and then again take a moving side walk and appreciate them fully.

While the Crown Jewels might be the highlight, there is so much more to see.

We looked across the lawns were Queen Anne Boleyn among others lost their heads. Now a memorial sculpture commemorates this place of execution, as ravens alight nearby. A lone guard stands in front of the Queen's House, while other Beefeater Guards give entertaining tours and answer questions.

Next we decided to head to Bloody Tower. Walking to it we passed Traitor's Gate, the boat entrance from the Thame's were prisoners were brought in.

While the Tower of London was built as a defense and palace, it has so often been associated as a prison. If it is hard to get in, it is equally hard to get out.

Sir Walter Raleigh was imprisoned here more than once, spending 13 years of his life here. His wife, was allowed to live with him, and his son was born here. Bloody Tower gets its name because of some notable and questionable deaths that occured here. The most famous of which is the probable murder of the 13 year old future King Edward V and his younger brother. Shakespeare has King Richard III as being the one who ordered their deaths.

We next visited the Beauchamp Tower. Why it is pronounced BEECHum completely escapes me, after all, all these early Kings were more French than English. The tower held a multitude of famous prisoners, many of whom scrawled graffitti on the walls that survives to this day.

The Central White Tower was the orginal Keep, and the rest was built around it. Today, it holds the White Tower Museum. As you make your way through it, you encounter Suits of Armour, including King Henry VIII's armour when he was a fit and slim 25 year old, as well as his older armour when older, overweight, and much less fit for any real battle. Those with a military interest will enjoy the displays that demonstrate the evolution of weaponry. Also in this museum is the actual chopping block and ax that beheaded so many.

We walked along the walls of the castle, taking in the sights of the castle grounds, as well as of Tower Bridge. We also noted how large the crowds now waited to gaze upon the Crown Jewels.

The last place we visited was the Royal Chapal of St. Peter ad Vincula where the headless bodies of those who were beheaded were buried in unmarked graves. Queen Anne Boleyn is said to haunt this chapel. (She apparently is occiasionally seen in the White Tower carrying her head in her arms.)

We were surprised that we spent the whole day here, but there is indeed much to see and appreciate.

We found a pub, to rest, eat and drink. Hera ordered a typical pub grub, a delicious Indian Chicken Tikka with hot nan bread and basmati rice. London food has definitely changed.

After our meal, we took a bus and got off just before Trafalgar Square and headed into Soho. The place was alive with people milling about, and others dining outdoors, while musicians played and entertained.

Our last task of the day was to purchase our tickets for a show. We decided on Chicago, and will see it in a few days.

Pleased with our day, we made our way back home.

Photographer's note: This last shot below was shot with Samsung Galaxy SII smartphone. It is our shadow.

Cheers,

Hera & Anthony

Our Day 5 In London

Trafalgar Square once again

West of Trafalgar is Parliament and Buckingham Palace. East of Trafalgar lie the various institutions of Finance and Law. Both are iconic of London, but neither reflect the typcial person. That lies North of Trafalgar.

Heading north of Trafalgar, we made our way to Leicester Square. Usually a pleasant park, it was closed and boarded up for renovations. But around here and along other various little streets lie a multitude of Theatres, the equivalent of New York's Broadway.

Capital Radio London is here as well. I still find it hard to believe that while we enjoyed the music of the British invasion freely at home, only pirate radio stations played the music of the Beatles and Rolling stones. (It is worth watching the movie Pirate Radio.) Capital Radio was the first station to broadcast such music in 1973. But it too soon became "old fashioned" and refused to play the new music of Punk that was emerging at the time.

yes, it's time for the dr. goebbels
show!

there's a tower in the heart of london
with a radio station right at the top
they don't make the city beat
they're making all the action stop

a long time ago there were pirates
beaming waves from the sea
but now all the stations are silent
'cos they ain't got a government license

wanna tell your problems
phone in from your bedsit room
having trouble with your partner
let us all in on the news

if you wanna hear a record
or get the word from Aidan Day
he picks all the hits to play
to keep you in your place all day

capital radio
in tune with nothing
don't touch that dial
(The Clash) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QfL9R2Wrhck)

Walking along, we made our way to Covent Garden. It used to be the convent garden of Westminster Abbey. (I am not sure how it lost the 'n' to become Covent.) Since medieval times, it was amarket, but produce stopped being sold in the 70's and today it is a market for lovely little odds and ends, with buskers entertaining the crowds.

Small intertwining streets are to be found in this area, filled with boutiques. Entering a little alley called Neal's Yard, we came across a colorful little nook. A saxophonist and pianist played, while others ate, and we took in the sights and sounds of the neighborhood.

Stepping back out, we came across a delicious cheese store called Neal's Yard Dairy. The salesgirl quickly offered us to sample the various cheeses. Cheese from throughout the British Isles can be found here, and the samples were all delicious. We bought three of the cheeses, a Colston Bassett Stilton, a Lincolnshire Poacher cheddar, and a Cardo-Tilleye goat cheese. We could easily have bought more.

Meandering about, we came across Denmark Street. Filled with music stores, it too has its own history. One music store called Regent Sounds Studio was where the Stones, Beatles and others recorded their music. The Kinks even made a song called Denmark Street.
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cuhPnuRVWU)

Soho came from a hunting call, but this area reminded us less of New Yorks Soho, and much more of Grenwich Village. It is a lively neighborhood, with relaxing parks, with a slight peppering of porn shops that seem to cling on.

Finding a pub called "The Crown," we sat to rest our tired feet and enjoy a pint of beer. As we drank, we read on a wall a bit of history of the pub, and it included one of Mozart's earliest performances at the age of 9.

After our beer, we wandered a bit further through the streets of Soho until we stumbled out onto Oxford Street, a shopper's paradise. Oxford streets stretches for several blocks towards Oxford Circus, filled with affordable fashion shops.

But we were headed down the next street, Regent Street towards Piccadilly Circus, filled with higher end shops.

And nearby, were the unaffordable shops, but still a joy to look into the windows. One restaurant we passed had 30g of caviar for 95 pounds, and another plate of caviar for 350 pounds. But we were not that hungry, so we kept on walking.

The police were still out in force, and I noticed the ingenious device over the laces of their boots. A hard stomp over the laces of even the strongest boot couold disable a person. The boots of these bobbies had a protective shield to stop this maneuver.

Our feet tired, we made our way back to our trusted route 23 bus, and headed home for the day.

Cheers,

Hera & Anthony