London. Wow. I read that it has recently been named the hippest city in the world. It's easy to believe that to be true. It has such a bustling, busy, cool ambiance. We hopped a train at the Norwich station and 1 hour and 55 minutes later arrived at Liverpool Street Station, London. How awesome is that?! There is an entrance to the Underground right in the station, so we got on a 'tube' that took us to the 'Tower Stop', which is where you get off to visit the Tower of London. There's a picture above of me coming up out of the tube and looking across the River Thames at the Tower if London. The view of it is spectacular and you just can't believe how big of a complex it is. The various pictures show buildings and grounds inside the complex. There is one building inside called the "White Palace" which is what is literally the Tower of London. It was built around 1080 by William the Conqueror and over the centuries was home to rulers, kings and queens. It is still considered to belong to the Queen and she has a residence on the grounds (which our guide said was never used). Over time, so many buildings have been built around the White Palace that the whole complex is now colloquially called the Tower of London. It's reputation includes famous tales of its use as a prison for all those many centuries, and we heard grim stories of torture and conditions for the prisoners that were beyond horrible. They have an entrance labeled 'traitors gate' and the story is once you've passed through that gate, your next exit from the Tower is to the gallows or the chopping block. And that's literally what happened: criminals found guilty of various crimes would lay their head on a block and have it chopped off by an axeman. The hope was that he was skilled and it would only take one blow. Afterwards, the heads were displayed on spikes as a deterrent to other would-be criminals. But this is just one aspect of the Tower complex. It also houses the crown jewels which are guarded by soldiers from the Queen's Royal Army. The jewels include crowns from various monarchs and include the crown worn by the current Queen Elizabeth. Also included are sceptors, royal signet rings, broaches and dozens of solid gold challices, urns and basins for baptism and other royal ceremonies. It really is a magnificent display. Touring the Tower complex took us into early afternoon. Our sweet Sophia took a great nap in the stroller (oh, that magnificent stroller) as we bumped along the cobblestones taking in the sights.
The Tower of London is located on the River Thames and so when you exit on the side of the river, your view is of Tower Bridge, shown above in one of the photos. It is quite a sight. Built in the late 1800's, it is Victorian in style.
We walked the wharf a bit and then caught another tube to Westminster Abbey. Like so much of what we have seen on this journey, it is hard to describe the Abbey. It is so large, and so imposing that it is hard to imagine it was built in the 1040's and still stands so grandly and solidly before you. We couldn't go inside because a special ceremony was being held (we never did find out what it was), but it was exciting nonetheless because as we walked around the Abbey and nearby buildings of Parliament, and ooohhed and aahhed at Big Ben (the clock-tower above), the bells of the Abbey were chiming the entire time. And I mean chiming - loud and glorious and non-stop for an hour and a half. Because it was dark, we felt ourselves transported back in time - it was a surreal experience.
We then crossed to the other side of the Thames and walked the famous river walk. It took us past Shakespeare's re-constructed Globe theatre, the Tate Museum of Modern Art and a host of beautiful buildings. The holiday decorations are going up, so we saw a lot of lights and displays that made the walk even more pleasant. And the people! Everywhere, just walking, or jogging, or chatting, or having tea at outdoor cafes (yes, it was warm enough still!). We have loved that about our England experience - all of the people who are out and about walking. We felt very much a part of it as Sophia ran along and gazed at the lights and held our hands and watched all of the people and the excitement of just being in such a lively place. We walked down to the Millennium Bridge. This is a pedestrian bridge that crosses the Thames. The sides are made of glass and it is not much wider than an ordinary sidewalk. For my family, who know how afraid of heights I am, you will understand when I say that this was not a highlight for me.
http://www.earth-photography.com/photos/Countries/England/England_London_MillenniumBridge.jpg
But Steve and Sophia took it in stride and I was ever so happy to reach the other side and come out near the famous St. Paul's Cathedral. The cathedral was built in 1673 by Christopher Wren, a famous architect who's name we have heard many times since arriving in England.
After our tour of St. Paul's, it was time to head back to the train station for our trip home. The day just flew by and so we are hoping to go back again. I'd really like to see Buckingham Palace and a few other sights. Cheers!
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