...and all that jazz!
On our second evening, we caught a West End show in the theatre district. It was also the only time that we got lost in London. So we jumped into a cab and got dropped off around the block! hehe I loved the cabs! There was one big bench in the back, and lots of leg room.
We really enjoyed the show, especially the live music.
We spent our third day at the Tower of London. The moat used to be under this skating rink.
Our guide was a Yeoman Warder, also known as a Beefeater. This is his casual garb. This uniform only set him back about $3,000 CDN. Their more formal wear, which you might recognize from the popular gin, Beefeater, costs approximately 10, 000 pounds.
The Yeomans were originally created, and still serve, as the Royal Bodyguards (starting with King Henry the VII). The man above was our guide, and I think we were a lucky enough group, to get the funniest of them all. He was very well versed, and added a lot of comic relief, and also had a booming voice! He often threatened to take us back to the beginning of the tour, if we were unable to answer his questions.
He informed us that it was very difficult to obtain a position like his. In order to even be eligible, you had to have served somewhere along the lines of about 22 years in the military. So in other words, he wasn't just any ol' tour guide. There are lots of applicants, and only a few are selected for interviews, and even less are hired. They live on the grounds, and probably make lots of money.
Traitor's Gate
I loved hearing all the tales about King Henry VII, Anne Boleyn etc...It was amazing to see all the stories come together after all the years of hearing and learning about it in school. Although there are no pics shown (not allowed), the church was by far my favorite part of the whole tour. There were beautiful tombs, rich history, and very unsettling stories about that place! At one point, they uncovered hundreds of unidentified bodies buried under the floor! They were later given proper burials.
It was once believed that if all the crows left the Tower, that would be the fall of the monarchy...The crows still reside there, and there are even a few reserved in a cage! hehe
Inside the Bloody Tower. Pretty clean actually.
Beyond these doors were the famous Crown Jewels. No pics beyond this point.
Needless to say, the Jewels were incredible!
You get on a moving sidewalk, and it takes you on a slow ride around the enclosed jewels.
I went around about three times! :) They were dazzling!
Inside the armory. My least favorite part of the trip. A favorite if you're into guns. Upstairs were the royal quarters, where they resided. Nothing in there now, except tour guides and a few fireplaces.
It was fun to see the suits of armor, and how small the people were back then.
After lots of walking and piggy backing Rich, we decided to call it a day and headed to Wetherspoons Pub. It's like the McDonalds of Pubs. They are very popular and are everywhere. They are usually located in very old buildings (I guess that goes w/out saying!) such as an post office. They totally renovate them, and turn them into very nice eating establishments.
Ummm, I should say....drinking, and quiz machine establishments. ;)
Check out the bathroom! This is just the sitting area.
Interestingly enough, they give out awards for cleanest and nicest bathrooms! This one was located in the Tower of London.
After our day at the Tower, we went back to the hotel, and I took a much needed snooze. We both decided to head out to a restaurant near the hotel. We weren't really in the mood for pub food, and we just happened to stumble on a very reasonably priced Mediterranean restaurant called Tas. I cannot tell you how much I enjoyed eating there, and the service was impressive. The food was exploding with flavor, and the presentation was very colorful. There was live music, and the ambience was very fresh and clean.
It's been awhile since I've been at restaurant that has knocked me off my feet like that!
You must visit the website...
When we got back to the Hotel, I caught up on some emails while watching some tv. Then we both got incredibly freaked out by a movie called The Descent! It's about a caving adventure gone horribly wrong. It started out seeming kinda cheesy but then freaked the living poop out of us! We weren't expecting that! At one point, I ran to the bed screaming and buried myself under a pillow!
A must see if you need a good thrill!
More England stories to come!
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