London... Second Time Around

Today I woke up to Tiffany knocking on my door to get up about 7:30, with hopes of catching the early train out of Cambridge. Well, after breakfast and because of how long it takes the girls to get ready, we ended up catching the 9:30 train, which was the train after the one we wanted... but I really didn't care either way.

When we arrived at Liverpool Street Station in London we hopped on the tube and headed straight to the Tower Hill stop. My list of things to do for the day included going to the Tower of London, the Tower Bridge (often mistaken for the London Bridge), Shakespeare's Globe Theater and Westminster Abby (which I missed last week).

We quickly made our way to the Tower of London which was like walking into the 14th century... The whole place was and old village, surrounded by a 15 foot deep moat (dry now and turned into a beautiful grass field surrounding the walls). Our first stop was the torture chamber, where we saw old torture devices like the one that stretches people out until they either talk, or die...



Our next stop was the King Henry VII exhibit. It gave the history of his reign and showed all of his armour from when he was a boy all they way up to the time of his death... the originals! There was a lot of interesting stuff in the tower, like the actual chopping block where many of people lost their lives including Anne Boleyn! We got to hold replica weapons that the soldiers used throughout the history of the tower. It was really neat and I was amazed to walk in a building that has been standing for thousands of years!

After we saw the Henry VII exhibit, we went to see the crown jewels. It was pretty fascinating to see a lot of the crowns and maces from different kings and queens, but I was more impressed to see the King Henry stuff. I did get to see the largest diamond in the world though... the girls really liked it!

By the time we got out of the Tower of London it was already after 1pm. We knew that Westminster Abby closed at 3:30, so Alan and I decided to take the tube to Westminster and postponing the crossing of the Tower Bridge and seeing the Globe Theater until later in the day. The girls went to St. Paul's, which ended up being closed.... sorry girls.

Alan and I never did get a chance to return to cross the Tower Bridge, or see Shakespeare's Globe, but we both agreed that taking our time to see Westminster Abby was all worth it.


When we arrived at Westminster, we convinced the ticket office that we were currently enrolled in a university to get the cheaper admission rate, although our ID cards didn't have any dates on them. But we were not lying! Once we walked inside we were handed little handheld devices that looked like cell phones. They had little screens on them and a keypad. Everyplace you went in the cathedral there was a number. You pressed the number and then you were told about what it was and the significance. The first stop was the high alter, where every coronation since the 1100's was conducted. It was most recently used in the 50's for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II and in 1997 for Princess Dianna's funeral.

Some other notable tombs in Westminster, among many, are every King and Queen since the 1200's, Issac Newton, Charles Darwin, Charles Dickens and the coronation chair (used for every coronation since 1296). The building itself is over 900 years old! To say I felt like just a tiny speckle in the long life of the earth and mankind is an understatement, but I don't know how else to explain how it feels to be surrounded by thousands of years of history in one place... This picture is William Shakespeare's monument. Although he it was decided not to move him from Stratford von Avon, they did erect this beautiful memorial in his honor.



After we departed Westminster Abbey, Alan wanted to go eat at Piccadilly Circus where he claimed to have the best burger he ever tasted. Because I am a burger lover I happily obliged! We ate at a Mexican restaurant which did have very good burgers. I don't know if it was worthy of being called the best, but it was one of my top rated that I have had in a while!

As I stated earlier, we planed on crossing the Tower Bridge and see the Globe, but when we took the tube back to that area of town, the heavens had opened and rain pored down onto the city. Since the tube was so overcrowded and because we were both tired, we decided that it would be best to head across town back to the train station to meet up with McKara and Tiffany.

After waiting at the train station for a bit, the girls met up with us and we headed back to Cambridge. At the train station we took a taxi back to the Warkworth House and I went up to lay down and relax. This was the first day that my feet and legs actually hurt me... which says a lot since Alan and I have made it a point to walk or run a few miles every night after dinner.

I really enjoyed my first trip to London, but am very thankful I went back for a second round! Below is a picture from my first trip to London on the London Eye! Don't get too dizzy mom!