Tower of London

Today was beautiful! First day it hasn't rained in about 5 days. Mom, Dad, and I took the train into the city to visit the Tower of London. The history of the tower dates back to William the Conqueror (1066-1087). It's OLD! We took a guided tour with a Yeoman Warder (Beefeater). He was very entertaining with his stories AND insults. We saw the Crown Jewels exhibition which was under heavy guard! The jewels are part of the Royal Collection and are the most powerful symbols of the British Monarchy. The Crown Jewels are still regularly used by the Queen in important national ceremonies, such as the state opening of Parliament. We toured the White Castle where we saw the kings/queens armour, weapons, and life size replicas of the horses they rode during those early centuries. It was very interesting. We walked through Beauchamp Tower. This became a prison at the tower for "traitors" of the king or Church of England which included 2 of King Henry VIII's wives.  We saw writings engraved on the concrete walls by the prisoners. The writings told of their misery while held there. EERIE! Some of the more prominent prisoners were buried under the floor of the chapel at the Tower after they were executed. I would not have wanted to be a prisoner there for sure after seeing the different methods they used for torture! I became faint reading about the Scavenger's Daughter, The Rack, and the Manacles. OUCH! That's about all we could handle for one day. Bruce missed all the fun. He's working all week in London.
Enjoy the pictures..

Tower of London and Tower Bridge

The Shard