Trip to London- Day 1 (Pain and Death)

'Ello guvnahs!  I had a fantastic trip to London!  Over my 5 days, I did an awful lot, but was too cheap to pay for Internet at my hostel to write on my blog.  I'll divide up the days and fill you in on what I did!  I took the chunnel after my internship last Saturday and met up with a high school friend Alizah for dinner after I arrived.  It was great to see her again, and she helped me figure out the "Oyster Card", which is the London Underground pass.  Why it is called and Oyster card, I have absolutely no idea.  After sleeping in a 10 woman dorm, I woke up and headed out into the city.  Although the amenities at the hostel left much to be desired, the location was fantastic, super close to the tube and right next to Kensington Gardens. 

Part of Kensington Gardens, Kensington Palace is above.  It was home to Princess Diana, and is now the London base of Will and Kate.  Major rennovations are being done everywhere in London to prepare for the Summer Olympics. 

 After strolling through the gardens and taking advantage of the fantastic weather, I made my way over to Tower Bridge and the Tower of London!  There were lots of Londoners out and about enjoying the Sunday weather. 

 Tower of London from across the Thames

 Before entering the tower, of course we had to grab some lunch.  and OF COURSE that lunch had to be fish and chips.  It was delicious!

Traitor's Gate

Our Yeoman Gard (aka Beefeater) joked with us Americans that it was the original "Watergate".

 Tower Green

Place where Anne Boleyn (Henry VIII's second wife) lost her head.  And Catherine Howard (wife number five) lost hers here as well. 

The White Castle, built by William the Conqueror.

Jess, Michael our Yeoman guide, Susan, and yours truly.  He was a fantastic guide and storyteller, and we all agreed he is our new best friend.  He's been a beefeater at the tower for 3 years.

A Scots Guard!  We asked a stupid question about why he isn't in red.  Turns out he just has his coat on.  Duh.  I bet he gets annoyed at all the tourists snapping pictures of him.  I took a picture anyway.

After our tour, we went to check out the Queen's Bling, aka the Crown Jewels.  Pictures were not allowed, so thanks to Google here are a few pics.  They are much more stunning in person though!



Coronation Crown

Queen Victoria's Crown

Orb and Scepter.

That is a serious diamond.  If I remember correctly, it is the largest cut diamond in the world. 

 Armor of King Henry VIII

 Yep, that's what you think it is.  The chopping block.

Interactive Exhibit about archery in English warfare. As the head of archery at camp for the past two years, I was very pleased that my draw was "spot on".

 Loitering in one of the Castle Corridors

The Rack in the torture chambers.  Ouch.

 Courtyard at the Tower

Ready for battle!

After the Tower of London closed, we headed toward the tube station where we saw posters for Jack the Ripper tours.  Brilliant!  We headed off to a pub to kill (pun intended) the time before our guided tour of the East End where the murders most foul took place.  Our guide introduced himself with pictures of him at his day job as a Beefeater!  I didn't get any pictures on the tour, the area is still pretty sketchy, not very picturesque.  Lots of the old Victorian buildings and steets were destroyed during the London Blitz.  Our guide was great, and scared us many times by shouting unexpectedly or kicking a door to illustrate a sudden noise.  He gave us a lot of the background story on Victorian London and the main suspects.  I kept looking over my shoulder the whole way home....It's crazy to think they never caught the Ripper, but seeing as all the murders were in 1888, I'm confident he's gone now....

What a day!  I'll post about day two tomorrow, which was much more lighthearted, and just as fun!

Cheers/Bisous,

Allison