The Tower of London

A proper good morning to you.
I simply love castles. On my many journeys I have made a point of visiting as many as I could and have spent many happy hours clambering around the walls and up and down the towers. Naturally I had to visit the Tower of London again.
I took the tube. I walked down Oxford Street to Tottenham Court Road Station where I could pick up the Northern Line from which I could make an easy transfer to the District Line east to the Tower stop. So I thought. The escalators were out of order, so I climbed down a long spiral staircase. Long. By accident I ended up on the right platform. My transfer station was Embankment, and I had to hike to the District Line.
But I arrived in good time—to join the ticket line. The Tower of London is extremely popular and with reason. It is a must see. Mine was a return visit, but I found a lot of new and improved exhibits.
The Tower of London was originally built by William the Conqueror (Team Normans-- Yay!) in order to insure that the English and in particular the City of London stayed conquered. It was the Normans who brought stone fortresses back to England. The Romans did it first, and in fact the Tower is built on Roman foundations some of which are visible. It is hard for the millions of tourists who enjoy the Tower to grasp, but the place is still an important military installation and even the picturesque Beefeaters giving all those tours and posing amiably are serious military guys.
The first thing I did was rush off to the Jewel Tower to see the Crown Jewels and Coronation Regalia. This avoided the lines and afforded me a much better view of the Imperial Goodies. You aren’t supposed to stop and stare, but the first time I was there I was absolutely mesmerized by the Star of Africa—a glittering diamond as big as my fist. I stopped. I gawked. The Beefeater on duty laughed indulgently. “It’s nice isn’t it.” he said. “Yes,” I croaked, “It’s nice.”
Still is. A very handsome hunk o’ carbon.
And the rest is impressive as well.
After that I briefly joined a tour and then wandered around and visited the many towers that make up The Tower. The oldest part is the White Tower which is being worked on so some of the Really Seriously Norman parts were closed, including a beautiful little Romanesque chapel dedicated to St. John, but there is an marvelous and educational exhibit of arms and armor, some of which is interactive. Hey, I can still pull a big bow! But my jousting skills need work. There are items one can touch or try on, which is another reason, if you intend to visit, to get there early on a weekday. Other towers hold other historical exhibits. If you are interested in how to use a rack you can find out.
A monument stands where Anne Boleyn, Jane Grey, and others died, justly or not, in the Tower. Legend claims that Britain—or is it just England?--will be safe as long as ravens inhabit the Tower. To insure this, their wings are clipped and they are extremely well fed.
I had a highly amusing historical wallow on a rather sultry day. The only thing I have never liked about castles are those dark, narrow, steep, spiral staircases. They scare me. Especially going down, so I hold on to the wall!
Wishing to avoid the mess at Tottenham Court, I strolled down Byward Street, which became Great Tower Street, which became Eastcheap. Cheap is Old English for market. There are good window licking opportunities along this route and I went into a department store for a squirt of expensive perfume. The sign said the ingredients were “well traveled” so I took this as a hint. Nah. But my target was the Monument Underground station which according to my map has the Central Line. Nope. So I walked up King William’s Street to Bank.
The Central Line would take me all the way to Holborn but I popped out at Chancery Lane and stopped in at the Marks and Spencer's for food before making my way west on High Holborn. I'd dumped off the groceries and walked up Southampton Row to the Hummus Bros. I tried the Ful and liked it, so I went back for another dose. The beans are very savory, but I can’t put my finger on the seasoning. Coriander? There must be something else. At any rate mushed into a piece of whole wheat pita with some hummus, it’s awfully good and comparatively healthful.
Cherrio!