After three trains, a wrong stop, one more train, and a short walk across avery busy motorway, I finally made it back to The Tower of London. It took me over an hour to journey the normally 25 minute ride through the stations. Lovely London is updating and repairing is railway systems. I understand the need for this, but you would think that you would at least leave one direct line to major stations for weekend travelers. After all, The Tower is a huge tourist attraction. Oh well, I really don't have a right to complain. I made it, safely (though a couple areas I went through seemed a little sketchy).
It doesn't matter, I'd travel by horseback through the mountains of Caradhras with orcs on my tail to see The Tower again. I have dreamt of this place ever since I was little. I don't think I could ever tire of the place. I'm amazed by the people who lived and died within its walls. So many stories of triumps and follies. I know I romanticize the place, but I hold it to an almost celebrity level. It's like how some people view George Clooney or Scarlett Johansson. I absolutely love the place. Turns out you can rent parts of it for a day as well. Can you imagine having a birthday party or getting married at The Tower of London? Hmmm, maybe its history is a bit dark for that. Well, you can always rent a different castle or palace. It's kind of neat.
Upon my arrival, the first thing I did was purchase a yearly membership. This may seem silly since I am only here until May. The membership gives me entry into five palaces, places I was already going to visit. Compared to the cost of those places individually and the cost of the membership, the latter was obviously the best choice....and I got a free book :-).
I was able to explore parts of The Tower that I didn't get to before. I saw some of the oldest crowns in England, Queen Victoria's crown, and interesting military regalia. I learned more about the missing Princes, and sat in the same chapel Queen Anne Boleyn is buried in. I learned an interesting fact about her as well. Apparently, she was originally buried in a chest. The chest was too small, they were unable to place her head where it belonged, so they instead cradled it in her right arm. When Queen Victoria was having the chapel renovated, this was fixed during her reburial. Odd.
I also learned some history of the Beefeaters and that some actually reside in The Tower. It would be amazing to live in a place like that. I'd apply, but you have to serve in a branch of Her Majesty's armed services for over twenty years before you can even apply. Scratch that off of my list.
All in all, it was another amazing visit and most definitely not my last. I'm going to try and do a twilight tour of The Tower this Wednesday. See if I can spot a ghost :-). I'm also thinking of going to Kensington Palace tomorrow, one of the palaces I now have free entry to. I was too exhausted to go today. Luckily, I live rather close to that palace so the tube disruption won't get in the way. So, Kensington Palace tomorrow, The Tower again on Wednesday, then Paris for the weekend! It's going to be a busy week.
Well, I'm off to enjoy a sandwich and crisps. Cheers!
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