The Tower of London is more than just a museum; you will truly feel the nearly 1000 years of history behind this place. It's hard to describe the musty atmosphere and ominous foreboding unless you actually experience it in person. My wife and I arrived around 11:00 on a weekday morning last November and walked in without any wait.
We opted for the guided Beefeater tour: a combination of fascinating historical narrative and spellbinding humor. As we walked about the grounds, the legendary Ravens followed, keeping a watchful eye on us. The Warder warned us not to get too close to the feathered guardians, lest a bloody finger be tallied to the Tower's gruesome statistics.
After the tour, we headed for the Jewel House to have a look at the Crown Jewels for ourselves. Again, there was no line to get in and we basically had the place to ourselves. While impressive, the Crown Jewels are behind so much plexiglass that their sparkle seems restrained. If you come here in the summer when it's more crowded, try to get to the Jewel House early; if the line is too long, head straight to the White Tower.
As we strolled through the White Tower, just thinking about the earth shattering events that took place there gave me the chills. Henry VIII made his mark on the place, as did the less fortunate residents of the Tower, prisoners whose desperate wall etchings remain for you to see. Outside the White Tower, we lunched at the cafeteria-style New Armouries Restaurant within the compound's walls. I would highly recommend eating there; it was relatively cheap (about 15 Pounds for both of us) and the fresh premade sandwiches really hit the spot.
Nearby, look for remains of the original city wall of London, built by the Romans nearly 2000 years ago. Also keep an eye out for the Tower Ravens Memorial, a tribute to some of the avian souls who legend says have kept the Monarchy from falling. We spent a good part of the day here and still only saw about half of the place; next time I'd like to check out The Ceremony of the Keys.
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Phone: +44 (0)870 756 6060
Address: Tower Hill, EC3N 4AB
Directions: Tower Hill tube
Website: http://www.hrp.org.uk
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on Aug 18, 2006
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