Our day began at the Borough Market. Back home we would go to the town square for a farmers’ market in the ‘boro.
We ate breakfast before we arrived since they don’t open until 10:00 AM. All I bought was a small piece of German Chocolate Fudge. I ate it on the way to our next stop. It was DELICIOUS!
Next we walked several blocks; strolled through Potters Field Park; and headed toward the Thames River (Pronounced, “Tims”) with the help of Google Maps. London has been unusually dry this summer, and the park looked sad. Only a few coneflowers were in bloom. Most things are looking dry and parched all around London.
Tower Bridge
Our view of the Tower of London from this side of the Thames:
We reserved an 11:30 arrival time at the Tower of London. The website indicated that they were strict about capacity and arrival times, but we showed the QR code on our phone to the attendant at the gate at 11:15, and they let us in – after a quick security scan of bags/purses.
One-hour, Guided Tours are offered every half-hour by a Yeoman Warder (also called a Beefeater) . They give an excellent history of the Tower and tell stories of the intrigue, traitors, tortures, and beheadings that happened here. Rudolph Hess was the last prisoner held here, and he was moved to another location to discourage the Germans from bombing the Tower.
Our Beefeater explained that no one knows for sure where the label “Beefeater” came from. Yeomen Warders/Beefeaters are in the British military and must apply for this prestigious position after many years of distinguished service. They live at the Tower of London along with their families. He told us that his first residence was behind the blue door on the left of this building.
The White Tower -Home to lots of exhibits of military weaponry, armor, etc.
The Torture Chamber in the basement-Ancient Torture: the Rack; Modern Torture: 204 stairs
Weapons and More:
The Tower Pier is close to the exit. A 20 minute, scenic boat tour is included in the HOHO ticket we bought yesterday. We rode to the Westminster Pier on the Thames.
The game and song, “London Bridge is Falling Down,” was part of my childhood recess activity, so it was imperative that I get a picture of this bridge. It is pretty much a plain, concrete bridge.
Shakespeare’s Globe Theater:
From Westminster Pier we saw that the Churchill War Rooms were nearby. Well, HOHO map is not to scale and streets are not labeled. It was quite a trek. Museum tickets were about 29 pounds for adults and included an audio guide. We saw the rooms below ground where Churchill and others worked and lived during World War II – his cabinet meeting room, map room, and living quarters.
There is also a museum with an overwhelming amount of information about Mr. Churchill.
After this tour, we looked for the nearest HOHO stop to ride to Buckingham Palace. Once again, the deceptive map made us think the palace was just a couple of blocks away from this stop, but Google Maps led us there.
Uber returned us to our hotel. I am Ready for a good night’s rest. To Southampton tomorrow. Emerald Princess here we come. Click on this link for my next post: Heathrow to Southampton
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