Murder, Murder
Trip Start
Jun 20, 2009
1
5
21
Trip End
Aug 01, 2009
London,
England,
United Kingdom
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
The Tower of London was the most expensive attraction I had seen to date, as it was not free. As soon as we entered, we got to see the siege machine in the now-empty moat launched by some tourists. It flung a mean water balloon. Certainly, it probably got many a warring knight very wet in its time. We then caught a tour with a Yeoman Guardsman (Beefeater). Interestingly enough, to become a Beefeater, you actually have to serve for 22 years in the British military, have a certain officer rank, and then go through 6 other interviews against around 160 other applicants for one position. They also actually live in the Tower.
He was a great speaker, but unfortunately our 'tour' consisted of two stops and it lasted for only 30 minutes, a half-hour less than it said on the brochure.
Afterwards, our group visited the Crown Jewels. While we waited in line, we watched a projector video of Queen Elizabeth II's coronation in 1952 which made use of the so-called "primary jewels." Believe it or not, Elizabeth II was a fairly attractive lady back then. More than that, though, the coronation was fascinating to watch in its elaborateness and its grandiosity.
The Tower of London
We also saw a looped video feed of each magnificent piece in the collection. Finally, we got to see the Jewels in person. Sadly, photographs were strictly forbidden, so I can only describe the treasures to you:They were amazing.
Not much detail there, but you get the idea. There were crowns absoutely decked out in diamonds, jewel-encrusted swords, rings that would make an NBA champion jealous, and scepters with absolutely huge gemstones; there was even a royal spoon. Where there weren't jewels, there was gold. There were massive gold maces, which certainly were capable of a lethal blow to the skull of any democrat they came across. There were robes woven with gold thread. There was the Sovereign's Orb, which looks like the Holy Hand Grenade and apparently does nothing. There was also feastware of every kind: gigantic goblets, enormous plates, a 'Grand Punch Bowl' that could hold 244 bottles of wine, and the world's most expensive salt shakers.
In the Tower, we also visited the so-called 'Bloody Tower' as the murder of two princes, Edward V of England and Richard of Shrewsbury, allegedly took place there, among other murders. It was also the place where Sir Walter Ralegh was imprisoned three times before he was ifnally executed. We then went to some torture chambers and saw a few examples of torture instruments of the day with explanations of how they were used. Interesting, there was a device on which you could vote if torture is ever justifiable.
After the Bloody Tower, we had dinner and then went on a Jack the Ripper tour, right next to Tower Hill station. It was actually also given by a beefeater, though in plain clothes. Fortunately, this tour was about two hours long, and it was very good. He was an excellent narrator, and he carried a messenger bag full of laminated papers that had pictures of people of interest in the story, various evidence, and even grisly drawings and photos of the victims. He led us around the various scenes of the various crimes that took place in the still-seedy underbelly of London. The only thing that wasn't great about the tour was that, it being summer, there was never really any darkness to make the story more exciting.
As a side note, I really want to see "From Hell" now.
Happy Travels!
