London Vacation Day 3

This morning found us waking up with a BOOM...literally. At 6:30 (pretty much on the dot) a loud thunderclap found its way to the hotel, rattling us awake. Cary and I were able to go back to sleep, for just another hour. But my parents were awake!

We decided to give the hotel's breakfast a try for this new morning before wandering the town. This is the biggest, and most likely only, mistake we made the entire trip. And it wasn't a terrible mistake, really, but I think it is the most disappointing for us.

There was a variety of food to choose from: eggs, sausage, Canadian-style bacon, tomatoes, fruit, pastries, juices...(Just juice?--sorry--inside joke...). And most of it tasted good and was filling. The eggs, however, (I believe) was made of a powder substance that was supposed to be passed off as scrambled...Big wrong! And then we got the bill...the jaw-dropping bill. Apparently food cost 5x times more in hotels. It was 40 pounds. For 2 people...That's the equivilent to nearly $80 American dollars!

So after getting through that moment, we looked at our maps and decided to catch the Tube to London Tower for the day. I had seen this castle during the bus tour 2 years ago, but I was really excited to finally get to go in. We decided to go with the tour guide, a Beefeater, or Yeoman...or in my case, the dudes (and at least one dudette) in the black and red uniforms--but not the palace guards). They walk you around on a brief tour of the castle, tell the tales and show you the main area of the castle. After that, they 'set you free' and you can wander around the castle and all around.

One of the first rooms we visited was the Crown Jewels. No photography is allowed. I can understand that, but how sad that I can only express in writing how amazingly sparkly and beautiful they are! All I can remember at this moment was how grand and in awe I was being so close--even though they were behind glass and highly protected!

After visiting that room (which took a very long time to get to with the lines) we visited a museum that spoke about the history of the British Calvary. After that, up to the White Tower, where there is a museum displaying King Henry VIII's armour. It was very interesting to see the different armour for the different sizes that the King was as time went by, but also the changes in his taste.

After gazing at war weapons for a while, we made our way towards the front of the castle to exit when Cary and I found the entrance to the Bloody Tower, also known as the place where prisoners were kept.

The coolest (and saddest) story there is to this tower is that 2 young heirs to the thrown a long, long time ago (forgive me for I know no dates) now haunt this area because their uncle was put in charge after his brother (and the children's father) passed until the eldest was old enough to be king. The uncle was greedy and wanted to be the king, so the kids 'disappeared'...centuries later the remains of 2 young children were found, and are now buried at Innocent's Corner at Westminster Abbey. Part of the tour walks through their bedroom...quite eerie!

After we stepped out of the castle, we decided to grab a bite to eat at the nearest concession stand. All of us except Cary had hot dogs (Yes, CARY decided not to have a hot dog...gasp! Is he feeling ok?!!?!). He had a sandwich instead. And the hotdog? Would have been delicious and satisfying (it was HUGE!) if it wasn't covered in mustard. And when I mean that, I LOVE mustard. But French's. Regular Mustard. That is the norm here in the States. Not the mustard in Europe. Slightly sweetened. Too sweet for a hot dog in my opinion. I had 3 bites, and then the rest went to the pidgeons. I had new best friends that day...

Wow. This post is getting long. Let's see if I can speed it up a bit. Everyone ok? Need a drink or potty break? Good.

After the quick bite to eat, we started walking along the Thames, and before you knew it, we were walking over the Tower Bridge--what a magnificent bridge! (not to be mistaken for the London Bridge). After our 10 minute walk over it, we started walking along the Thames on the other side, stopping to look at the map and our options, and not to mention a bite of Soft Serve ice cream!!!

With a decision made, the 4 of us hopped onto a city bus (after standing at the wrong bus stop for a bit) and rode to the London Eye. We couldn't convince mom to join us on the largest Ferris Wheel, we purchased tickets for 3 and got on right away (no line!). Now, I have an issue with heights, and my rear end was planted firmly to the bench for the majority of the ride, but what a glorious time! The views that you have in this bubble can be breath taking! Cary and dad got tons of pictures...I was happy looking around and people watching the other few people that were in there with us.

The ride only lasted about 30 minutes--it felt as though the Eye wasn't even moving because it went so slow and smooth, and when we got off, we headed for a Movie Museum/Beatles exhibit that was next to it. The really cool thing about this museum is that you could touch the items in the exhibit, and take photos...movie props including (but not limited to) Star Wars, Excalibur, Sherlock Holmes, and...Harry Potter!!! I took lots of pictures of those props!

When we finished the museum, we decided to head towards Parliament. I loved this time because it got us as close as humanly possible with Big Ben. The Clock Tower has been my favorite monument for as long as I can remember. Why? I'm not always the best with keeping time. Maybe nothing more than its grandeur (listen to me with those big words!). But it was fun walking along beside it.

While in the area we also saw Westminster Abbey--another gorgeous building. I think that might be one of my favorites that we visited. The architecture is so...breathtaking. Words can't describe how much I loved its beauty.

We also heard (and got on video!) Big Ben while in the area!!!! After that, we figured out that we were hungry (Ben did tell us it was 6:00 afterall) and we found a small Chinese buffet along our walk home...yummy! I fell asleep that night, sore feet, but really happy. So far, I'm loving London!