WE ARE IN LONDON!
After a daunting airplane experience that left us all jet lagged and relying on caffeine to survive, we landed in London and got some much needed sleep.
Starting off this trip with the Tower of London was such a fun beginning! Walking through the halls and the tiny doorways thinking about not only the architecture of the walls and ceilings but also about how it’s been preserved is incredible. I thought it was really interesting how they would keep lions not just in the tower, but they’d let them walk around, and people would come and tour the tower with the lions walking around. And it wasn’t just lions, but also porcupines and snakes and alligators, aka my nightmare. Surely, it only went perfectly and no one was every harmed at all.
While I didn’t get any pictures of any of the Crown Jewels, I thought that they were amazing.
It was also super interesting looking through the White Tower with the carved horses and King Henry VIII’s armor. I loved seeing the different variations in his gauntlets depending on what weapons and tools he would be using and the armor of his horse. Transitioning from King Henry VIII, my absolute favorite part of the tour was seeing The Chapel Royal of St. Peter ad Vincula, where the three queens Anne Boleyn, Catherine Howard, and Jane Grey are buried. Both Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard were married to King Henry VIII and were both executed for charges against adultery. Their bodies are buried in tombs in the crypt beneath the chapel, and as much as I wished I could have gone in to explore more, I was not allowed. Again, the architecture was beautiful and the sanctity of the chapel was still present, even after all of these years.
I also loved going up the Bloody Tower, where it is rumored that King Richard III held and killed his nephews, the would-be King Edward V and Richard, his brother. While the skeletons of two children were found buried beneath the castle, there is no concrete proof that they were killed by King Richard III, but I think he did.
Walking through London has hands down been the greatest part of the trip, walking through the streets and finding small shops, it’s absolutely brilliant! (But I said it in a British accent on accident and got looked at funny.)
Theatre in London U of A 