This Beefeater was very funny, but objected on several occasions to being videotaped. He didn't seem to mind having photos taken. The White Tower (not very white) is in the right background.
Day 4 - Sunday, May 16
In the morning we packed up everything and got to breakfast bright and early. With the crowds we had encountered at Westminster and Windsor, we figured we should get to the Tower plenty early. Since we were taking an evening train to York, we had to check out of our hotel, although they were glad to let us leave our luggage in the lobby for the day. After another quick e-mail home and one to our next night's B&B, we walked to King's Cross to pick up the tube to the Tower of London.
When you come out of the tube station at Tower Hill, you are right next
to the spot where public executions took place. There is also a section
of the old medieval and Roman city wall. I wish we would have had
more time to explore the Roman history of Britain. We arrived at
the tower 20 minutes before opening only to find hundreds in line ahead
of us (just like yesterday). After entering the first gate, we waited
by the sign that indicated a free guided tour would begin shortly.
Soon, one of the Yeoman Warders (a Beefeater) showed up and gave a lively,
humorous, yet often dark overview of the Tower and its history. Once
inside, there are many different building to look through on your own,
each with different attractions.
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This Beefeater was very funny, but objected on several occasions to being videotaped. He didn't seem to mind having photos taken. The White Tower (not very white) is in the right background. |
First we went through the crown jewel display. Not only were the
jewels on display, there was an elaborate preview explaining the history
of the jewels. I was surprised to find that there isn't just one
crown, but many. It seems that each King or Queen makes up a new
crown. Next we went through the White Tower. This is the oldest
and most famous part of the Tower. Inside was an
incredible display of armor, swords, guns, and other items of military
history. We aren't usually that keen on military museums, but this
one was particularly interesting, especially Henry VIII's armor.
Even more interesting, to me, was the building. The austere Norman
chapel made an interesting contrast to the flamboyant gothic churches we
had seen earlier. Also, details of castle life are
still evident in things such as fireplaces and latrines (William the
First "went" here, I thought). The Beauchamp tower had all sorts
of ancient graffiti carved by condemned prisoners. A walk around
the outer wall gives great views of the Tower Bridge and access to the
Constable's Tower (Susan has three Tower Constables in her family tree).
There was also an interesting display of the restored royal apartments.
We also did quite a bit of shopping in the various gift shops. We
both really enjoyed the tower and didn't leave until mid afternoon.
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The Raven is sitting on a fragment of the Roman wall that was part part of the original Tower Wall. A legend says that the Tower will fall if the ravens leave. Today they clip their wings to be sure the Tower is safe. Notice the fragment of a large animal spine near the sign. The ravens eat carrion. |
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This picture is taken from the walls of the Tower of London. It should not be confused with the famous London Bridge, which is up river from here. |
Next we took the tube to Tottenham Court Road and walked to the British Museum, stopping at Burger King for a quick lunch. You could easily spend a whole day at the British Museum but we only had a couple of hours. Our intention was just to see a few of the most noteworthy galleries, including the Elgin Marbles (from the Parthanon), the Egyptian Sculptures (including the Rosetta Stone) and the early British collection (including the Sutton Hoo treasures). From the British Museum, it was a reasonably short walk to King's Cross Station (via the Hotel to pick up our luggage). Along the way we stopped at a grocery store and bought some food to eat on the train (bread, cheese, fruit, yogurt, chocolate). After a couple of days of fried foods, we were looking for something light.
Our pre-purchased tickets were waiting for us at the station ticket window. We waited in the passenger lounge until the train was ready for boarding. We found our reserved seats and the 6:30 train to York pulled out of the station at exactly 6:30. I pulled the road atlas out of my suitcase so I could identify each little village as we passed by. We ate our meager snack while two older couples had a veritable feast spread out on the table next to us. A young girl repeatedly would come up from the next car to ask her parents for something, and then run off to see friends in the next car. She reminded us of the ten year old girl we have at home. I bought some really bad coffee in the club car.
We pulled into the station at York at 8:40. We caught a cab at
the taxi stand for the short ride to the Bronte Guest House B&B.
We had asked by e-mail in advance if this late arrival would be a problem.
Our B&B hosts assured us it wasn't. Every e-mail inquiry I made
to this place had been met with a prompt and agreeable reply. My
good feeling about our hosts were confirmed. The
accommodations here were much nicer than our London Hotel. This
was certainly the best B&B of the trip. We spent the evening
sipping the sherry in the lounge and going over local travel information.
True to form, we picked out about 3 days worth of things to do for our
one day in York.
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