It is said that the kingdom and the Tower of London will fall if the six resident ravens ever leave the fortress. That being said, my little raven Edgar really wanted to see the world, so I put him in my bag and walked out the gate. If the Tower falls tomorrow, don’t tell anyone I told you this.
I enjoyed my time at the Tower of London, walking around the white tower and seeing the crown jewels. The Coronation Spoon and giant golden punch bowl were my favorite, but that might have been because I was hungry. The huge diamonds were a sight to see as well, but I spent the majority of my time in the White Tower.
I walked into the White Tower with four other people, but I took such a long time admiring the artifacts and reading all of the plaques that I spent 85 out of the 90 minutes inside alone. There were so many fascinating things to look at and while I was climbing the final set of stairs to the top, my eyes met the coolest thing I have ever seen in my life: a dragon made of armor and weapons with swords in its eyes and guns on its wings (pictured below). The dragon’s name is Keeper and he represents Britain’s might of using weaponry in a powerful statue.
While Keeper was the coolest thing I saw, the coolest thing I learned at the Tower of London was about one of its prisoners. The Tower of London was thought to have been built as a hotel-like place, but came to serve a very different purpose. This prison was used to torture and execute lawbreakers, but there were several fascinating instances that occurred within the prison. While most prisoners died within the walls, John Gerard actually managed to escape the prison. He wrote secret messages in orange juice that revealed the words of an escape plan when held over the light. The zesty letters reached his fellow members of the Catholic underground who then aided him in his escape by bringing a boat and a rope.
It’s time for me to feed Edgar now, so I’ve got to go. Remember, if you ever find yourself sent to the Tower of London, make sure you ask for your servants. You may be tortured, but at least you’ll have someone to bring you snacks!
Cheers and Woo Pig!
Theatre in London U of A 