London Part 2
Last Updated on Monday, 12 October 2009 12:45 Written by Elise Wednesday, 14 October 2009 00:00
Here's a quick rundown of the last two days in London...
Day 3: Rain in the forecast again...so again a quick change in plans. Today we went to the National Gallery. One of the coolest things in London is that all of the museums are free (there is usually a $3 donation suggested). As we learned from our cab driver, they are supported by the lottery, since that apparently has so much money. Sounds a bit crazy, but very cool for tourism. Again, the National Gallery is huge. We spend a good 4 hours there at least, and by the end, we were just spending time with the "must see" pieces as suggested by our tour book.
I don't have any pictures, since you aren't allowed to take any there, but some highlights were works by, DaVinci, Michelangelo, Raphael (see, most of the turtles were represented), Caravaggio, Botticelli and Titian. Plus more "modern" pieces by Rembrandt, Monet, Renoir, Cezanne, and van Gogh.
Day 4: Finally a sunny day! This was it...Tower day! So, not only is the the Tower a fortress, a palace and a prison, but it also houses the Crown Jewels. This was my third trip to England, and I had yet to see the crown jewels, so this was a top item for me. We hopped on the underground a little after 9am, and got the Tower just before 10. The first stop was the Crown Jewels, since the line can get absolutely obscene. As much as I wanted to see the Jewels, I didn't want to wait 3 hours to do so. When we got there...no one was there! We waltzed in and were able to take our time, riding the moving sidewalk that moves people by the cases containing the jewels. There we saw the world largest diamond, 530 carats, crowns, tableware, ceremonial swords. There really aren't words that can do the splendor and opulence of these treasures justice. Sorry, again, not pictures allowed, but I'm sure the interweb has tons.
Other cool things at the Tower:
The White Tower- This is the original part of the tower, built by William the Conqurer.
Our Yoemen Warder (Also know as Beefeaters) tour guide- Bob. These guys are pretty cool. They are still the official bodyguards to the queen (though now they are primarily guides). They live at the Tower and get locked in every night at 10pm. To become on of these guys you have to have at least 22 years of exemplary military service. The summer uniforms they wear can cost around 13K pounds, and the winters ones 30k pounds! Our guide was great! Funny and knowledgeable.
A Tudor style house within the Tower. I love Tudor history...so scandalous!
Ravens at the Tower- The legend is that if the Raven's ever leave the Tower, the tower, the monarchy and the entire kingdom will fall. So there are always Ravens here. The wings are clipped so they can't fly away, but they are very well kept for, living 3-4 times longer than the average lifespan.
Traitors Gate- This was once part of the moat, and a way for prisoners who were traitors to the crown to be brought into the Tower. Probably the most Famous person to go through this gate was Princess Elizabeth (a protestant), she was imprisoned in the tower by her half sister Mary (a Catholic).
Tower Bridge- A lot of people think this is "London Bridge" but it's not. London Bridge is actually a lame boring bridge down the Thames. This is the pretty one.
So, while in London we had to do one fan-ish thing. And that thing was find a Tardis (rather, police box). Before leaving I checked the internet and found there was one left in London. It was on our tube line and pretty easy to get to. So we rode out to Earl's Court, and right outside the Tube station we found this:
Many pictures were taken and I don't care how touristy we looked!
Well I think that's about it for my overview. Thanks for bearing with me. I really had a gret time and would love to go back. There was so much we still didn't do!
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
Comments
I like the pictures specially the Tower Bridge. Earlier I also think that this is London bridge. Thanks for the information.I appreciate your work.
1 2