Ravens, Beefeaters, and Jewels...Oh My!

Today I participated in my first day trip through Boston University Social Programmes.  These are short one-day trips on which you can select a city or site that you would like to see and travel with a group of students and a blue-badge tour guide to see it.  It is a great deal because you get to know people on the program and pay a discounted price to see some of the best sites in England.  I was able to sign up for quite a few of these throughout the semester including Oxford and the Cotswold's, Cambridge, and Bath and Avebury.  Today's destination was the Tower of London!

My day began a little rocky as I didn't hear that the time we were meeting got changed to an hour later than I thought, but before I knew it we took off on our Panoramic bus tour of London.  We began by maneuvering our way around the narrow streets of Kensington and Notting Hill.  I can't wait to have a chance to check out some of the unique antique shops in Notting Hill.  Our guide told us a humorous little story that Queen Victoria used to like to shop in these and demand a 50% discount on the antiques.  Because of this, anytime that the store owners caught wind of her coming they would hurry and close up shop as quickly as possible in order to avoid having to sell her goods at half price. We continued on downtown to the area of Westminster to see the main sites: Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly Circus, and the Houses of Parliament.  The cool thing about being on a bus was that we could see all of these sites so quickly.  I enjoyed being able to relive some of the excitement and fun from yesterday's explorations. 

Our guide planned in a stop at Buckingham Palace to see the changing of the Guard which takes place each or every other day, depending on the season, at 11:30am. It reminded me a lot of my trip to the Swedish Palace with the patriotic music and guards marching in formation. I would really like to go back when it is nicer out and the guards are wearing their traditional red coats instead of their gray rain jackets.

Changing of the Guard Ceremony

After the ceremony, we hopped back on the bus and headed further east to see what is referred to as "The City" of London.  Today it is the financial and business heart of London.  "The City" boundaries are marked by a dragon statue in the center of each main street.  In this area of town we got to see the London Stock Exchange, Lloyd's of London, and the memorial in remembrance of the Great Fire.  At around 12:30, we arrived at the Tower of London and took a break for lunch.  I ate at a little diner next to the Tower which featured great prices and huge portions. 

From just beside the Tower of London there was this great view of Tower Bridge

Finally, we met up with the group and entered the Tower of London.  While reading travel books before coming to London this was one of the sites that I just knew I had to see during my time here.  It has such a dark past and is filled with interesting stories and traditions and could not be missed.  I learned that in 1070 William the Conqueror began to build a massive stone tower as a proclamation of his power and might to the poor locals who lived in the area.  This tower, known as the White Tower, is still standing some 940 years later as a prominent building.  Over time the grounds have grown in size and changed in look, but they still are a magnificent sight.

White Tower

Upon our arrival inside the walls surrounding the Tower, our guide gave us a short tour explaining some of the highlights that we could explore during our free time later in the afternoon.  She began by pointing out the Yeoman Warders, or "Beefeaters" as they have come to be known.  They are usually retired army men who as a part of their pension are given housing for themselves and their families in the Tower of London.  The Beefeaters dress in decorative red and black jackets and act as tour guides of the grounds.  Our guide also showed us a few of the ravens that live in the courtyard.  There was an old legend that said that if the ravens ever leave, the kingdom and the Tower will fall!  Because of this the birds have been made permanent residents.

One of the Eight Raven Residents

One of my favorite parts of the day was seeing the Crown Jewels of England.  The display began with a showcase of all of the different coats of arms for each of the monarchs and then continued into a video showing the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.  I could not believe how young she was (only in her 20s when she was crowned) and consequently how long she has been the reigning monarch. It was neat to see the formal ceremony and what traditions are followed throughout the process.  Then, we were able to see the crown jewels.  They were spectacular!  I couldn't believe how ornate all of the different royal crowns were.  The most amazing piece was the Sceptre with the Cross which is held by the incoming king or queen at their coronation.  It contains the Great Star of Africa which is a 530-carat diamond.  This is the largest cut diamond in the world. All I could say was wow!

Sceptre with the Cross containing the Great Star of Africa

After the dazzling jewels, I went off to explore the grounds with my friend Brittanee.  Together we saw all of the various towers including the Bloody Tower, Salt Tower, and Wakefield Tower.  We had a fun time climbing the eerie, narrow spiral staircases and snapping pictures with some of the artifacts.  The White Tower contained many great examples of historic armor.  My favorite part of this building was seeing the different styles of armor and weapons that have been used all throughout history.  I also thought it was interesting to hear stories about the different individuals who were prisoners and executed within the Tower's walls.  The most famous controversy was the disappearance and murder of the two young sons of Edward IV.  After Edward's death his 10 and 12 year-old sons were sent to the Tower on the orders of their uncle.  It was never known what became of the princes, because they were never seen alive again.  Years later, the skeletons of the two boys were found hidden under a staircase in the White Tower, confirming their murder.  Brittannee and I also saw the execution site memorial. The memorial reads, "Gentle visitor pause awhile-where you stand death cut away the light of many days-here jewelled names were broken from the vivid thread of life-may they rest in peace while we walk the generations around their strife and courage-under these restless skies."  I thought that this was a beautiful verse to remember the death of many individuals including three English Queens.