Before we could really do anything today we had to address the problem of Robyn's knee. It really started bothering her late yesterday after way too many tube steps and way too much walking. After receiving real honest-to-goodness physical therapy advice (from our almost-a- physical-therapist-son) without the dripping sarcasm, Robyn found the exact knee brace she would need at an athletic store about 2 miles or 7 tube stops away. So this morning we left in the pouring rain and worked our way to the store. They had exactly the brace she needed, it fit, and one problem was solved, so it was off to the Tower of London with what Robyn now calls "her souvenir knee brace."

When exiting the tube at Tower Hill station, the first site that is seen is not the Tower of London but a wall that was part of the Roman city of Londinium. I find this very cool because it pre-dates the Tower of London by over 1,000 years. In front of wall is a statue of the Roman Emperor Trajan who played no real significant role in the establishment of Londinium, but what the heck--he was emperor during the early days of the city.



The first view of The Tower of London is from a viewing area on top of the Tower Hill station which Robyn found to be a great photo op.




I feel another history lesson coming on... the White Tower, which is a castle keep and the very central part of the castle complex, was constructed by William the Conqueror and finished around 1078. He built this as not only a defensive castle but also his residence. It was constructed at the same time that he was constructing the other defensive castles of London such as Windsor.



On my last trip to London 16 years ago I never had the chance to go into the Tower so this was a new experience for me. Since it was raining, there were no guided tours so we self-toured, which was fine with us. One of the first sites after entering the castle is Traitor's Gate, which replaced the Bloody Tower as the water entrance to the castle when the walls were extended further towards the Thames by Edward I. Enemies of the state were taken to the Bloody Tower through this water entrance, thus the name Traitor's Gate. Some prisoners who were not to be given public executions would be secured to posts outside the gate during low tide and would then drown during high tide--such a pleasant way to handle your enemies.



We headed towards the one thing Robyn wanted to see--The Crown Jewels--which are held in the Waterloo Barracks. Before we left the Crown Jewels's exhibit, Robyn asked one of the Yeoman Warders what the value of Queen Elizabeth's crown was. He said no value has been placed on the crown itself but that the two largest diamonds--a 350 carat and a 530 carat-- were valued at 600,000,000 pounds or over $900 million. He also said the Queen wears the crown at least once a year when she appears before Parliament.




After viewing the Crown Jewels we went into the Salt Tower which was one of the smaller towers but held various prisoners who left etchings in the stone walls. One was a astrological chart carved by a prisoner named Hew Darber (who had been accused of sorcery).
We stopped for lunch at the Tower restaurant.





After wandering the castle grounds and getting fairly soaked, we headed out and Robyn got her first good view of Tower Bridge (which people mistakenly call "London Bridge"). The picture she took just says it all--dreary and misty, exactly what is expected in London.



After leaving The Tower we worked our way over to St Paul's Cathedral. I did not visit St Paul's the last time I was in London and I have to say I was impressed with the architecture. Robyn had to take two pictures of the front to capture it all. Somehow she managed to capture me in one of the photos even though I was trying to avoid her, and then she took a picture of my best side as I am entering the cathedral. As we were going through the cathedral a choir began singing. Robyn captured some of the performance with the organ even though there are signs everywhere that say no cameras or videos. (Sometimes, you just have to have such a special moment preserved.) This was an incredible place.







One last thing-- we used our London Pass to get into the Tower of London and St Paul's Cathedral, saving over $100. I estimate at this point we have broken even on the purchase versus what it would have cost to visit the sites we have been to, and there is still one day left on the pass. At this point I would say the Pass has been worth it.