On Monday, we left the convention site, far out in the Docklands, and moved to a much more central AirBnB place in Picadilly Circus. It was an enormous struggle moving all of our luggage, first on the Docklands Light Rail and then on the Underground, and frustration was increased because we were late and having trouble communicating with our host because my phone lost its network connection. We were very grateful for the assistance of Frances, a fan from Ottawa, who helped us and kept us company and provided material and emotional support. It turns out, of course, that Frances knows our other Ottawa friends.
By the time we got to Picadilly Circus, we were hot, exhausted, and thoroughly sick of the Tube, with its Byzantine stations, gigantic track/platform gaps, and lack of air conditioning, escalators, elevators, and cell phone signal. The host who met us was very nice and forgiving of our tardiness. The place is a fourth-floor walkup, so there was more carrying of luggage up stairs, but our host helped us this time. The room is nice and clean, but we have to share a bathroom with three other guestrooms.
Construction of the Tower began in 1066 under William I, but that temporary structure was demolished. Construction of the existing structure began in 1075.
The yeomen warders make a lot of jokes, and tell you all sorts of stories about bloody deaths at the tower, plus the famous story about Anne Boleyn not really dying after they first chopped off her head. In order to qualify to give these tours, you must have served 22 years in the military, and have been decorated for good service. If you look at the picture closely, you can see all of the yeoman warder's ribbons. If you do the math, you can see that all of the yeomen warders are at least 40.
The Crown Jewels are stored here, and are one of the most popular attractions at the Tower. The Crown Jewels were first shown to the public during the reign of Charles II, and the Tower has been a tourist attraction since that time. The line to see the Crown Jewels, however, was an hour and a half, so we skipped them. There was also a long line for the "Torture at the Tower" exhibit, but I think I would have skipped that, anyway.
The Tower has a display of artificial poppies, one for every British soldier lost in World War I. There are of course quite a few of them, making an impressive display.
Honestly, the experience of the Tower didn't feel all that real to me. The yeoman warder tour in particular seemed Disney-like. I kept feeling like I was in a Disney reproduction of a place, not in a real place. I had to keep reminding myself that this was the actual place where all those executions happened.
The Monument has 311 stairs, all going up to the right, with no landings. This wasn't easy on our bodies.
The other attraction I had wanted to see the first day was St. Paul's Cathedral. Unfortunately, it closed at 16:00, so we could only see the outside.
St. Paul's Cathedral is a late 17th c. masterpiece by Christopher Wren.
We had dinner at a place called Côte Brasserie. It turned out to be a chain, but they had good early bird specials and I liked the food very much.
The Tube stations are buried very deep. Getting out of the station at Picadilly Circus requires a stairwell, two long escalators like this, and then another stairwell. I can't figure out why London did this. The station at Covent Garden was buried 15 stories deep.
On to Hampton Court.