Given that Pippa and I have been really broke for the last few weeks, we have done very little in the way of going out and sightseeing. But as the rain of the past few days finally cleared we headed off to the Tower of London. Something we have wanted to do for a while now.

We went to the Tower 7 years ago when we were in England for Christmas and did not see inside the White Tower as the queues were very long, probably to escape the cold. We did see the Crown Jewels, but this time on a sunny summer day the queues there were too long to even consider waiting.

So into the White Tower we went to look at the armour display. It was great seeing the forged pieces actually worn by the various kings of England. The first suit was a suit and horse armour from Charles I. Then there were several pieces from Henry VIII and Edward VI.

After the restoration of Charles II post Oliver Cromwell's sojourn in the post of President of the English republic, the royal line was formally recorded in the "Line of Kings". These are wooden sculptures of the heads and horses of the various Kings of England and their armour. However all the armour with the exception of William I was from the Tudor style. Accuracy is obviously not as important as, well, vanity.

After walking around the White Tower, Pippa and I made our way down the spiral staircase in the NE turret. The people in front making regular stops to admire the stone work with no idea that there were several hundred people all banked up behind them.

So as all sensible tourist do at the tower after being crammed into the White Tower armoury, Pippa and I bought ice cream and sat down and watched the world go by for a while.

At the tower at the moment there is an exhibition of all the animals from the history of the Tower. The sculptures are made of wire and placed around the complex to be discovered as you walk around. The lions at the front drawbridge were easy to find and the baboons adorn the NE corner of the inner ward. Pippa and I searched out more and only found the polar bear on the south side.

As animals go, there was a Raven enclosure. The ravens have been at the tower for centuries and the superstition suggests that if they leave the tower the tower will fall down. Charles II tried to rid them until he heard of the rumour and stopped. But I think keeping them in cages to make them stay at the tower is taking the rumour a bit far.