I think it has taken a few days, but I finally feel like I have found my rhythm in London.  On Friday, which was day three of the trip, we started the morning with a group trip to the Tower of London. We arrived around 9:30, and proceeded to spend the next two and half hours looking at all the exhibits and walking around the Tower. The time went by so quickly that I could’ve spent forever reading the signs and walking through each section. We got there earlier in the day with the explicit purpose of going directly to the crown jewels to see them before the lines got too long. We were fortunate to arrive moments before a wave of people came in, and didn’t have to deal with large amounts of people at any of the showcasing. 

The exhibit itself was not what I expected. For starters, I didn’t expect it to be an exhibit at all. I expected one room with the crown and a few other ceremonial items – nothing like what we saw. Photography wasn’t allowed, which was actually quite nice because I didn’t have to think about my phone or capturing anything for later. Every single item was polished to perfection and glistened in a way I didn’t think possible. While the pieces were beautiful, I felt that the history that was provided was delivered in a way that made the collection look the least horrible. For example, one of the prominent crowns featured a diamond, which on the explanation card said something to the effect of “obtained from the 10-year-old Maharaja in 1849 when the British came to power in Punjab”. While there is a reference to the youth of the leader, there is much left unsaid. If one already has an understanding of British imperialism and specifically their relationship to Punjab, then there is an immediate understanding that there is more going on here than just a diamond that was taken from a 10-year-old and the British coming into power. I may be a bit cynical on this subject, and in no way am I asking for a history of the entire relationship between Britain/The British East India Company, but on the Tower of London website in just a few more paragraphs, the verbiage used to tell the story of the diamond feels more honest and less polite. 

I thoroughly enjoyed my time at the Tower of London despite the commercialization of a former prison and torture, as well as feeling slightly saddened at the way that many conversations I overheard while going on the tour seemed to trivialize the pain and suffering from those at the tower. Maybe this is due to being so removed from most of the horrific events at the tower, but the only two times I saw the crowds take exhibits seriously were the World War II poppies memorial and the movie that played about the two children who were found buried inside the grounds. Both had videos as a major part of the exhibit that were very serious in tone, and I think made these moments feel more personal compared to just reading dark and overwhelming information on a sign under a photo. While I love to read each card displayed, I think that may look at the pictures and skim the card, which is not bad by any means, I just think it creates an emotion discontent; one which I don’t know how to remedy other than some sort of disclaimer about the serious nature of the events that took palace on the grounds. 

One of the most interesting parts of the tour was seeing where the Beefeaters in London lived. It was actually odd because you walk up a set of stairs to a sign that explains how over the wall we are standing on is where 11 men were shot, and you lean over the edge and there was a guy on a plastic sofa smoking a cigarette. It was a little middle street between the outer wall and the inner area where visitors could go and there were parked cars, kid’s bicycles, and freshly painted blue doors with wreaths. Quite a stark contrast to the death, jewels, and torture we saw just on the other side. 

All that to say, I did really love the Tower of London. I learned so much and felt that it expanded my understanding of the journey of this historic space (especially how many times parts of it burned down!). We were there for 2 ½ hours and I could’ve spent even more time, so I do hope I get to go back someday and finish seeing the other exhibits we didn’t get to. To think that this is only the beginning of the study abroad, and we have so much left! I hope my brain is exploding by the end of this with new knowledge!

There was never and will never be a perfecter day to see the Tower of London in all its glory than the day we saw it! It was a truly gorgeous sunny day and I could see the tower walls glistening and the flowers blooming and the birds humming and it. was. perfect. We started off by seeing the Crown Jewels (i think you’re supposed to capitalize them? It seems fitting anyway.) and they did not disappoint. From the very beginning of the Crown Jewel exhibit it was so reverent and almost worshipful. Seeing the first part of the exhibit I could already tell the rest of it was going to be incredible – and it lived up to the expectations!!!! One of my favorite parts of the whole exhibit was seeing the short films about how the jewels ended up with the royals, and how the were moved around different crowns and setting and versions of themselves. I also loved the videos playing of the coronations in modern day and back in the 19 century. There was a background music playing throughout the whole exhibit which created this beautiful / serene environment. I could talk for days about it. The conveyer belt that showed us the Crown Jewels made me laugh because until I saw it, I really didn’t believe it was there. But it definitely was!! I could spend probably half the day in that exhibit alone, and a truly loved reading every single plaque and looking at every display, I feel like I learned so much about the history of the jewels and the royal family!!

Next up at Tower of London was Martin Tower, a quaint little display of what used to be the living quarters for the keeper of the Crown Jewels, and where the jewels were actually kept for a time. I wished we could go upstairs to see the actual living quarters, but it was blocked off. Im not sure why – but my entire life, anytime I’ve gone to a site like Versailles, old castles, historic homes, etc. I’ve always been most interested in the bedrooms. I like to think of the fact that these people really lived, each had their own complex lives just like mine, and had struggles and triumphs and joys, and most of them were probably celebrated quietly in the privacy of their own bedroom. They’ve always been fascinating to me. Im looking for forward to visiting some historic houses and seeing some more personal rooms than we were able to at Tower of London. 

We also saw the tower where prisoners were kept, Beauchamp Tower,  and read about some pretty famous people who lived and died there. The most popular being Anne Boleyn, who was imprisoned there after not bearing a male child to King Henry VIII, and was sentenced to death on the Tower Lawn shortly after. Though Anne is one of the most well known stories, I was so interested in seeing the plethora of carvings in the stone in this tower, done over years and years by prisoners writing their last sentiments. Some of these carvings are over 500 years old. There was glass covering the carvings so that they wouldn’t decay over time, so I found myself touching any original looking exposed wall that I could – something I often do when Im in a historical place. I like to know that I touched something that old, I guess!!! I think the most interesting person that was imprisoned was Lady Jane Grey, who sat on the throne for only 9 days before being replaced by Queen Mary I (Mary Tudor) Also known as “Bloody Mary”, interestingly enough! She was imprisoned by Queen Mary for her immense threat to her reign as queen, and was then executed on the tower green at only 17 years old. Through this mess she earned her spot as the shortest reigning queen in British history. 

Lastly, we saw the Bloody Tower which was one of my favorite parts of the entire day. I can already tell that this will become a new obsession and that I will be reading many theories about what happened to the two princes. It was so eerie to be standing where the boys were last seen alive, and where they were potentially murdered by King Richard. The history is so rich at the Tower of London, and I truly think I could have easily spent an entire day there! 10/10 from me!!!!

Quickly have to mention that my heart is incredibly content after seeing Wicked last night. It was perfect + beautiful + lovely + stunning + incredible and truly that show never gets old. We had amazing seats and I cried immediately after hearing the downbeat of the very first song. Wow. No notes. Next please. 

Thats all for today! Enjoy the pictures!! 

• Jo

Yesterday, on our third day in London (has it really only been three days?) we visited the Tower of London. To say I was excited to be back at the Tower is an understatement. My classmates can attest that once we emerged from the Tower Hill tube station, I ran ahead of the group, jumping and “yippie-ing!” my way to a bench I could stand on to get a better view. We also made our way to the old Roman wall that still stands across from the Tower. After touching it, repeatedly saying “This is 2000 years old, and we’re touching it”,  and threatening to lick the wall (I decided against it when I thought of the possibility of getting some disease that the last person to most likely die of it was probably a gladiator), we were off to the Tower!

Our first stop was the Crown Jewels before they got too crowded. Everything in there is beautiful…but dare I say a tad gaudy! It’s also hard to believe there are stones that form so starkly blue, red, or green naturally. My favorite crown was probably Queen Victoria’s itty bitty crown made to go over her widow’s veil. I got a kick out of telling out little group that she and Prince Albert were ye olde FREAKS for each other. Good for them, I guess. 

After the Crown Jewels, we started exploring different historical parts of the tower. We went to the sight of Anne Boleyn’s execution, where a cat a Yeoman referred to as “Nipsy” sat on the memorial and played with the flowers people had left. She was a black cat, which I think should make her an honorary Tower Raven. Forget the ravens leaving the tower, if Nipsy leaves we’re all screwed. We then moved on to Traitors Gate, The White Tower, and my personal favorite – The Bloody Tower. The Bloody Tower includes my favorite exhibit about the Princes in the Tower.

The Princes in the Tower were the boy King Edward V, who was twelve, and his little brother, Prince Richard, who was nine. They were put in their tower by their Uncle, Richard III (different guy than the boy prince). One day they were seen playing on the lawn of the Tower and after that…nothing. They were never seen again. Richard III was crowned King of England and was later defeated by Henry Tudor at the battle of Bosworth. It’s widely speculated and written that Richard III had the boys killed so he could become king. They’ve even found the skeletons of two young children in the Tower, but there’s never been any testing done on them. I believe that the boys were definitely killed, whether by Richard III or someone else. The room in Bloody Tower that tells their story is accompanied by a truly haunting short film that I LOVE. I wish I had taken a video of it to show people back in the states, as I always bring it up when discussing the tower. Alas, too many people were walking in front of it.

Speaking of which…the lack of museum etiquette displayed by so many people that day angered me TO MY CORE. At one point in White Tower, Sophie, Anna, and I were reading about this set of armor and this woman comes and stands RIGHT IN FRONT OF US. I was fighting demons. My inner Karen about came out. MOVE!!!!!!!!!!!

Anyways…after this, we went to Spitalfields market, where I had some amazing butter chicken and naan bread. Most of the group went out to see shows, but I took the time to get some much needed rest and wash my socks and such in the sink…fun things happening over here, folks. I’m a real riot.

While I am not sure how credible this number is, Movement Strategies states that an estimated 3 million people come to visit the Tower of London every year. Meaning, roughly 8 thousand tourists, historians, school children, and locals come to walk through this historic site each day. The question is why though? For some, the Tower of London is the place with the pretty jewels; others come for the weapons and torture chambers. For most, including myself, we come for the ability it has to transport us through British history. 

During my tour of the Tower of London, there was one historical person that I found the most compelling: Lady Jane Grey. Lady Jane Grey is one of my favorite historical figures. According to Historic Royal Places, Lady Jane Grey was born in 1537 to Lady Frances and Henry Grey, 3rd Marquess of Dorset. She became a favored successor to the throne during the rule of her cousin Edward VI. This was controversial because it came as a result of the disinheritance of his sisters, Mary and Elizabeth, so that the throne would pass to a male Protestant. So, after the death of Edward VI, she was crowned queen. Her reign was cut short. Her cousin Mary overthrew Lady Jane, had her and her husband imprisoned, and she was eventually put to death at the tower. Lady Jane died at just 17 years old. To this day, her reign remains the shortest in British history. 

By far, my favorite actual exhibit was the Bloody Tower. My personal tour guide, aka Merritt, was adamant we go and see it because it is her favorite. It is an animated story that follows the story of Edward V and his younger brother, Richard. The two young boys disappeared after their uncle King Richard III. It is rumored that it was their uncle that killed the boys, but there is no conclusive evidence. However, the rumors were large enough to have the tower renamed.

Very fun, super cool, amazing time!

As I walked into the Tower of London, it felt like I was walking back in time. I was so excited to read, see, and learn about all the coronations, executions, betrayals, and secrets that unfolded within the tower’s walls. My absolute favorite part of everything I saw was the Crown Jewels exhibit. Obviously, I have heard about the crown jewels, but seeing them in person was absolutely amazing. As a little girl, I have always been obsessed with princesses, princes, queens, and kings, so being able to see actual crowns and other garments and jewelry that the royal family has worn before was a dream come true for my younger self.

The Crown Jewels aren’t just beautiful; they also have so much history behind them and are symbols of power and tradition. Each piece, from the Imperial State Crown to the Sovereign’s Sceptre with Cross, is breathtaking. The size of the diamonds and gemstones almost didn’t feel real. It was so pretty that I times I was thought this can’t be real, but I had to remind myself that they were and that it is just how amazing it is. I loved learning about the history of the crown jewels and how some were melted during the English Civil War. What struck me most was not just the glitter and shine, but the meaning behind it all. These items are still used in royal ceremonies today. That connection between past and present centuries of monarchs being crowned with the same pieces made me realize just how much Britain values tradition and symbolism. 

After being amazed by the jewels, I explored more of the Tower and found myself pulled into its darker side. The execution site of Anne Boleyn, marked with a simple memorial, stuck with me in a completely different way. She was executed here in 1536, accused of crimes she likely didn’t commit. Standing near the spot where she lost her life was a unique experience. It reminded me that the same monarchy that crowns with diamonds also took the lives of many when power was threatened. It is crazy to me to think how Anne Boleyn would have felt in that moment right before her life was taken, and how it must have been leading up to it. It is so sad to learn about her and her death, and even crazier to be able to walk to that spot as well. Her memorial was very simple and pretty, especially with the flowers surrounding it set down by people. Another one of my favorite parts of learning the dark history of the tower is when we stepped into the Bloody Tower, where the mystery of the two missing princes still lingers. It’s one thing to read and learn about it; it’s another to stand in the room where they were last seen. It gave me a spooky and uneasy feeling knowing that this was the room where they disappeared. That moment made the brutal side of royal history feel close and real. Finally, after seeing both the Crown Jewels and the darker corners of the Tower, it made me realize how complicated British history is, a strange mix of tradition and power struggles. Overall, I loved learning about the Tower of London and everything it has to show me. 

Before I tell you about my experience at the Tower of London, I need to give a couple disclaimers about myself. First, I knew very little about British culture and history before coming on this trip. I know, I know, Shawn gave us that whole series of lectures last week about British culture and history. I promise I paid attention. But a lot of the information didn’t totally stick. So I was coming into the Tower of London absolutely blind. Second, I love museums. I love them. Truly. But I do not stop and read every single little plaque that is in front of all of the things on display. I wish I could. I respect people that can. But I simply cannot. I will read the things that interest me, but my attention span is too short, and my patience is too thin to read every single thing. So, as you can imagine I probably missed some of the information that the Tower of London Museum had to offer. I still got a lot of information. But if you are looking for a scholarly account of the historical and cultural information presented at the Tower of London, this is not your blog post babes, and I will see you in the next one.

Okay, enough disclaimers. The Tower of London was just absolutely stunning. I loved the architecture of the museum. I felt like I had been truly transported back in time. Luckily, when we went it was a gorgeous day, which also meant unfortunately there were LOADS of people looking to discover all that the Tower of London had to offer. First, we got to see the Crown Jewels. And yes… they were stunning. Stuntina as I called them. It was actually crazy to get to see them in real life. I will say… it was kind of off putting when you learned about where the Royals got the Jewels (thank you imperialism). I also went into this entire museum experience knowing that it was going to be a very Pro-Royal museum. It felt like the equivalent of an American History Museum. Very “Go Royals!”, “Save the Monarchy!”, and “We’ve never done anything wrong!” vibes which, is obviously not true. Needless to say, I took everything with a grain of salt.

I would say that my favorite exhibit was probably the exhibit where they talked about all of the exotic animals that used to be kept within the Tower of London walls. I had no clue that the Kings and Queens of the past used to bring Polar Bears, Lions, Snakes, Elephants, and even Monkeys to London. This display of the animals was used as a sign of wealth for the Royals. And when the Tower of London opened as a tourist attraction, they let tourists roam and pet these exotic animals. As you can imagine, this did not end well, and the animals were then placed in the London Zoo.

One of the other fascinating and also unsettling things that the Tower of London had an exhibit on was the deep history of torture and imprisonment that took place in the Tower. Which, first of all… insane. Second of all, was a little off putting to be in the rooms learning about these people who would often spend years and years in these towers being tortured or imprisoned. There was an exibit where you climbed to the top of this tower and there was a short film that was being played about the disappearance and probable murder of Prince Edward V, and his younger brother Prince Richard. I had no idea about this British mystery and was fascinated by the exhibit. If you have a chance, I highly recommend you look into it.

I finished the day at the Tower by walking along the Moat floor, which is now covered in beautiful flowers. Which of course, caused for a lovely photo op. I can’t believe we’ve only been here four days… I’m having an absolute blast.

-R

I am quite the history nerd, so a trip to the Tower of London was something I had been anticipating. Especially because this is a part of history where my knowledge is pretty vague. I knew the basics about the Tower of London. It’s iconic, it’s where the Crown Jewels are, it’s where Anne Boleyn was imprisoned and executed, and it was built by William the Conqueror. I was excited to use my time there as a deep dive and immerse myself in the history.

We first toured the Palace exhibits, the ravens, the medieval palace, the tour in World War I and Royal Beasts. First, I am not the biggest fan of birds, in fact they are quite scary and vicious creatures and I prefer to stay far away from them. So walking along the tops of the castle walls between exhibits that are populated with menacing looking ravens was not my idea of a good time. But I am happy to tell you that no Claires or ravens were harmed in these events.

One of the exhibits I found the most interesting was the Royal Beasts exhibit. I had never considered where the stereotype of wealthy people owning exotic animals came from, but I do believe I found it! For over 600 years the monarchy kept exotic animals (monkeys, tigers, lions, elephants, snakes, zebras, alligators, kangaroos, and bears) at the Tower of London. I was shocked by the exhibit as it was something that I had never known and was curious how it was even possible, like what are the logistics of getting a polar bear to Henry III. How do you keep these exotic animals alive without the technology that zoos have today to be able to create the appropriate environments for them? The reality is… you don’t. Without modern day research of these animals and their habitats, it was impossible for them to know how to take care of them properly so most of these animals suffered. There was a story about an ostrich who died because the “handlers” were feeding him nails because they were thought to eat iron. There were also animals that were solely brought to the tower to be put in arenas with the lions to watch the lions tear them apart for entertainment. I’m not one who enjoys learning about the mistreatment of animals, so I tried to find some of the wholesome fun facts.

Henry III is responsible for the creation of the Royal Menagerie. He was gifted 3 leopards by Holy Roman Emporer Frederick II in 1235 and thus begins his fascination with owning exotic animals. He was given a polar bear from the King of Norway in 1252. He was rather obsessed with his bear and made several edicts surrounding the keeping of the bear. He didn’t realize the expense and the dedication for taking care of the bear so he declared the Sheriffs of London were now responsible for the bear. They were ordered to pay fourpence a day for the bear’s care and they had to house and clothe the Norwegian handler that came with him. Later on, Henry was still concerned the bear wasn’t being looked after appropriately so he ordered a muzzle and a leash be created for him so he could be walked outside of the tower grounds. He changed the law so he was able to let him swim and fish in the Thames. He continued to add to the Menagerie, he was later gifted an elephant that he ordered be given red wine as a treat. I like to believe that he genuinely loved these animals and appreciated their beauty and majesty. But unfortunately, I think the reality is they were quite a symbol of wealth and power.

The monarchy continues to add to the Royal Menagerie until 1831 when most of the animals there were moved to the London Zoo after it’s creation in 1828.

The London adventures continue, this time at the Tower of London! Coming up to the Tower was truly like going back in time. The first landmark we came across, before even entering the Tower itself, was the London Wall. This wall dates back to the Roman city of Londinium and is estimated to have been built around 200 CE. Seeing something that was built nearly two thousand years ago that still (partially) stands to this day is an incredible reminder of just how much humans have accomplished throughout our history. As someone who loves to look to the cosmos (in both an academic and spiritual way), I often think of how humanity is really a blip in the history of the universe. However, being confronted firsthand with something that has withstood so many wars, rulers, and lifetimes truly reminded me of just how much humanity has done in the relatively short time we have existed. Claire and I even touched the wall! It felt a bit scandalous; we are both avid museum-goers, so touching it felt almost like we were breaking a rule.

Once inside the Tower of London we hightailed it to the Crown Jewels. There was practically no line, which is a very uncommon occurrence. Inside the Jewel House no photographs are allowed. I’m curious as to why – my best guess is that the only media in which they want these historical and precious items to be shown is that directly from royals and officials. Either way, these crowns and scepters are beautifully adorned and preserved. My main thought as we passed the crown jewels – which you do on a slowly moving walkway put in to keep people from standing and staring too long – was God these people are RICH! Obviously when one thinks of kings and queens it is assumed that they are incredibly wealthy, but it was insane to be confronted face to face with just how much they have.

One of my favorite parts of the Tower was the Royal Beasts exhibition. This detailed the menagerie of animals that were kept within the tower walls for over 600 years. These animals ranged from polar bears to snakes to monkeys to tigers! My favorite fun fact in this exhibit was that the snakes were kept on a stove after being fed to keep warm. There were also beautiful statues of many of the animals, which appeared to be covered in chainmail – I assume this is a commentary on their captivity. The only live animal we saw was a raven, who perched and posed for photos very professionally. These ravens – of which there are six – are considered to be the guardians of the Tower, and it is said that if they were to ever leave then both the kingdom and the Tower would fall.

The next exhibit we hit was the Torture at the Tower exhibition that detailed many of the torture cases recorded to have happened within the Tower walls. Interestingly, only 48 people are known to have been tortured. While a seemingly large number, it is relatively low considering how long this place has existed and how many prisoners passed through its walls.

My favorite exhibit was definitely the Bloody Tower. Within this exhibit I learned the story of the Princes in the Tower. These two princes were born to Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville in the 1470s. The eldest was Edward V, who was in line to be king, and his younger brother, the only other boy, was Richard. After Edward IV’s untimely passing, his brother Richard III (I know, two sets of brothers with the same names; talk about confusing!) took the crown for himself. Both young Edward V and Richard went to live in the Tower and disappeared in 1483. Their fate still remains unknown, though the two sets of bones belonging to young boys that were discovered in 1647 seem like pretty damning evidence of foul play. Though we may never know the truth, I believe that Richard III either ordered for these boys to be killed or killed them himself in order to keep the crown.

A bit of a bummer note to end this blog post on, I know, but look at these pictures to cheer yourself back up!

The first exhibit we went through was the crown jewels, and while it was still very interesting, it was my least favorite of the exhibits that I saw. The crowns themselves were very interesting, and I enjoyed being able to see their intricate design up close, but many of the other things on display I did not find as interesting. The style of many of the items used by royals and those around them seemed very noisy and over designed in my opinion, appearing somewhat gaudy to me. With that being said there were some items I feel like this style worked well on, specifically the dishes and serving devices. My favorite of these was the royal punch bowl, which was said to have been able to hold over 400 bottles of wine and was used by the royals for special ceremonies.

The exhibits that I thought were the most interesting were the royal animals exhibit, the minting exhibit, and the white tower. The royal animals exhibit explained how over the years many royals were given exotic animals as extravagant gifts, and as a result the tower of london had been home to animals like monkeys, polar bears, and lions. The treatment of these animals was very poor, including encouraging fighting and giving cigarettes to the monkeys. Luckily the remainder of these animals were transferred to the London Zoo, and were able to be better cared for. Around the tower they had statues of some of the animals formerly held there made out of a metal mesh which were very beautiful, and trying to find them all was a fun activity to do while walking between exhibits.

The Minting press intrigued me with its focus on the methods and tools used in the old coin production process. They had replicas of money of the tools that you could handle to get a feel for how the process used to work. There I also learned that for a time Isaac Newton was the warden for the Royal Mint, which I was very surprised by as I had always assumed that his contributions in life were purely scientific. While not a strictly scientific pursuit, Newton did still use his knowledge of science to catch counterfeit coins.

While both of these exhibits were very interesting, by far my favorite was the white tower, which primarily showcased historical armors and weapons. There was a display called the giant and the dwarf which showcased an extremely tall and a very short suit of armor. Despite the name, researchers now believe that smaller armor was designed for a prince while they were a child, and the large armor was more of a ceremonial gift. Among the weaponry my favorites were the weapons that attempted to incorporate the technology of the time, even if unsuccessfully. Soon after guns started to become more developed, it seems that engineers of the time attempted to merge guns with a wide range of other weaponry to varying degrees of success. There were gun shields, gun maces, and a gun axe that while not all entirely practical had very interesting designs.

Along with the exhibits about the tower as a fortress and castle, there were ones discussing its role as a prison. One of the most famous prisoners in the tower was Anne Boleyn, one of King Henry the eighth wives. After being unable to produce a male offspring, Anne was accused of adultary and incest, with these accusations landing her in prison over fear that the rumors would endanger the kings life. She was executed for this, and in the tower today there is a statue consisting of a carved pillow that was believed to be the location of Anne Boleyn’s beheading.

Despite that slightly melancholy note the trip overall was very fun. it was a nice day out and while there were plenty of people about it did not feel too crowded.