I met more birds at the Tower of London :-)

By Brittaney Mann

Yesterday we visited the Tower of London, and I was very excited when I saw the ravens when we entered deeper into the tower — also feeling guilty that they’re trapped in cages to ensure the monarch does not fall. I share a birthday with Edgar Allen Poe, so it was a necessity that I take a photo near the ravens. 

The Tower was a very interesting place to explore, and I am happy I waited in line to see the Crown Jewels. I do not keep up with the royal family, so I was honestly not very interested in seeing the jewels, but I am still happy that I got to see them and the other golden and jeweled items. It was hard to believe that what I was looking at is very expensive because cheap jewels glisten in a similar fashion. 

I think my favorite place to visit was the Bloody Tower where King James I imprisoned Sir Walter Raleigh. Raleigh was a poet, solider, and explorer, and Queen Elizabeth the I loved him while she was alive, according to a slideshow from the Historic Royal Places website. Raleigh lost all his wealth when he was arrested and lived in cold damp rooms — even today the rooms are still very cold.

At the Bloody Tower, there was also a projector and sound system playing information about events at the tower, adding to the creepy aura. In the first room, the projectors showed some of the letters Raleigh would write. He was very sick and depressed while in there and attempted suicide, but after a while he planted a medicinal garden and his life turned for the better. I loved seeing the medicinal garden, it was small but very cute. There were a lot of plants I did not realize could grow in England. The two lemons hanging of the branch of a plant made me so happy. 

I was kind of hoping the Tower would feel less touristy. The historical places I am used to visiting smell old, feel old, and make me feel very uneasy because of how well I can feel the age. Here it kind of felt new in some aspects, it was still great, but I was just wanting more old feels. I was also hoping the torture devices would be in a creepy location, but they weren’t. I wanted to feel a little scared when looking at everything, but then again the place is used for educational purposes and not scary entertainment — but I do think historical places can be both.