This morning, we went as a group to the Tower of London. I'm not exactly sure why it's named the Tower, singular; I didn't count, but there were most definitely towers, plural, there. Most of them weren't very tall, either - some only two stories high. It would take a long time to see all that the Tower has to offer, but I did see the exhibit with the Crown Jewels, the place where the scaffold used to stand, and the Bloody Tower (so-called because the two princes Edward and Richard, sons of Edward IV, were kept there before their disappearance and supposed murder). Sir Walter Raleigh was also imprisoned there - as a matter of fact, he was imprisoned in the Tower at three separate times. However, the Bloody Tower was where he was imprisoned for thirteen years, and the tower was actually converted into a residence for his family.
As I was leaving the Tower, there was a "raree show" going on as part of the exhibit on the wild animals that used to be kept there. There were three interpreters in costume, and when I went by, one of them was talking about the fearsome (stuffed) crocodile behind him. After he had finished describing in gory detail how to defeat a crocodile, he then pointed out that there is a virtue also associated with it. Apparently crocodile dung makes a good anti-aging cream...or so he would have had his audience believe. At that point, he was interrupted by another interpreter in the audience, who called him mad. I'm inclined to agree with her, considering that he even went so far as to demonstrate his own wares...
I got a quick lunch after leaving the Tower, then went off on my own to do a little more touring before it was time to leave. I stopped at St. Paul's Cathedral, although most of the cathedral was closed to visitors because it was a Sunday. What I did get to see was beautiful, though. Then I went to see Westminster Abbey and Big Ben, and then I headed back to pick up my backpack and meet our group at the coach station. We left for Oxford at 3:30 and got back around 5:15.
I made French toast for dinner tonight, with a little help from Shire, one of the other girls in my house. It turned out quite well, although it involved an unfortunately large amount of standing. My feet weren't very happy by the time I got to sit down and eat, but it turned out well enough that I think it was worth it. And every time I use it, I am more convinced than ever that the nonstick frying pan was worth its cost four or five times over. It's a vast improvement over the one that came with the house.
I have a lot of photos, both from Hampton Court Palace and from London, but it's been a long day and I don't feel like waiting for photos to upload tonight. Tomorrow afternoon I'll probably haul my laptop up to McDonald's and take advantage of their free UNLIMITED wifi, so that I don't have to worry about how much of our internet allotment I'm using. That way, I'll be able to upload more photos. :)
As I was leaving the Tower, there was a "raree show" going on as part of the exhibit on the wild animals that used to be kept there. There were three interpreters in costume, and when I went by, one of them was talking about the fearsome (stuffed) crocodile behind him. After he had finished describing in gory detail how to defeat a crocodile, he then pointed out that there is a virtue also associated with it. Apparently crocodile dung makes a good anti-aging cream...or so he would have had his audience believe. At that point, he was interrupted by another interpreter in the audience, who called him mad. I'm inclined to agree with her, considering that he even went so far as to demonstrate his own wares...
I got a quick lunch after leaving the Tower, then went off on my own to do a little more touring before it was time to leave. I stopped at St. Paul's Cathedral, although most of the cathedral was closed to visitors because it was a Sunday. What I did get to see was beautiful, though. Then I went to see Westminster Abbey and Big Ben, and then I headed back to pick up my backpack and meet our group at the coach station. We left for Oxford at 3:30 and got back around 5:15.
I made French toast for dinner tonight, with a little help from Shire, one of the other girls in my house. It turned out quite well, although it involved an unfortunately large amount of standing. My feet weren't very happy by the time I got to sit down and eat, but it turned out well enough that I think it was worth it. And every time I use it, I am more convinced than ever that the nonstick frying pan was worth its cost four or five times over. It's a vast improvement over the one that came with the house.
I have a lot of photos, both from Hampton Court Palace and from London, but it's been a long day and I don't feel like waiting for photos to upload tonight. Tomorrow afternoon I'll probably haul my laptop up to McDonald's and take advantage of their free UNLIMITED wifi, so that I don't have to worry about how much of our internet allotment I'm using. That way, I'll be able to upload more photos. :)
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