London, East Anglia & Paris
July 16 through July 26, 2000
Adventures of Bill, Linda and Betsy Ross
Day 5, Thursday
Fire, Conquerers, Towers and Beefeaters
Conference obligations behind, Bill was clear to resume his tourism with me and Linda. Mark, Clark, and Jamie would be leaving separately in the next day or two. So we are completely on our own now--with 5 days to go. Breakfast and coffee as usual, without rush but with no time wasted, we sat in the lobby and planned our day. We took the tube to Monument station, where we learned more about the fire that devasted London in _____. The monument's height is equal to the distance from its foot to Pudding Lane where the fire began.
(left) Monument to the London Fire.
We might have taken the tube to Tower Hill, but wanted to walk along the Thames on our way to the Tower. Another beautiful day, but I'm getting a goodly sun rash by now, so seeking shady walks is getting more important every day. Not much luck here, most of the walk was in the sunshine.
We approached Tower Hill from the east, just right as it happened, to come to the ticket booths along the walls of the old moat. 11£, but a full day of touring possible here! We entered the Main Gate, and waited there for the next Yeoman Warder's tour. After about 10 minutes, our beefeater appeared and began his lengthy and humerous introduction to the Tower of London and to the background of his title and office. He must have been warm in his dark wool uniform, because the temps got quite high this day. I was too warm in my long-sleeved shirt. Still--mild weather compared to what I left behind in NC!
Our Yeoman Warder guide by the Bell Tower. We passed under the Byward Tower and along the passage inside the wall parallel to the river. There we saw at immediate range the Traitor's Gate so often depicted in Hollywood and throughout history books. My photo came out fairly well, in spite of my sorry camera. I can easily visualize Elizabeth I passing the gate in the small boat.
Traitor's Gate, Tower of London. Then we passed under the Bloody Tower and into the courtyard encompassed by the thick fortress walls, and in which sits many structures. North Carolina's own Sir Walter Raleigh was imprisoned in that tower; we later found the church in which he is buried (St. Margaret's at Westminster Abbey). Dominating the opening courtyard was the original castle built by William the Conquerer in 1076--the White Tower. I believe I may never see many structures as old as that!
The White Tower, 1066-present. We didn't enter the castle right away, but followed our Yeoman Warder guide to a grassy lawn (the Tower Green) for another spiel. He spun some pretty good stories about the murder and mayhem of the English Royalty and its subjects. In this small lawn stands the stone paving for private executions--they called it a scaffold (perhaps a scaffold was built on the paving stones to raise the event up for better viewing). Nearby we see the apartments in which the various imprisoned regals awaited execution--called the Queen's House.
The Tower Green and Scaffold for private executions. I took this picture of another (extra fee) guide giving a speech on the scaffold while our Yeoman Warder was speaking to us over my right shoulder. Our formal tour ended in the chapel of St. Peter-in-Chains--the old royal chapel in which Anne Boleyn and Catharine Howard are buried. The chapel is very small, and crammed into the courtyard, but beautiful and peaceful once you find the entrance over by another wall.
Having completed the speeches, we were on our own to explore the rest of the complex, and headed first for a restroom and a brief sit-down. Then we stared at the Guard for a while, learning his tricks for standing so still, but wondering how he could tolerate the red woolies and the hat in the heat of this day--getting really warm now! We tried to stare him down, but he's too good at his job to bother.
The Guard outside Waterloo Block, the "Jewel House". A Yeoman Warder wandered over to chat with us while we moved toward the cue in front of the building housing the Crown Jewels. He admitted that the heat was becoming a problem as the day wore on, and that the Guard would probably be changed every 1 or 2 hours instead of the usual 3 or 4. We noted the time, and vowed to return to the spot in time to watch the Changing of the Guard. Mostly, I was amazed that the Yeoman would pick out 3 Americans and instigate a conversation. I would have thought they got quite enough questions and hastle from the tourists as it is! I guess they realize that tourists keep the place funded, and embrace the job willingly. Anyway, this one wished us well, and we left him as we entered the building.
The long cues and pathways to the Crown Jewels were well-entertained by wall-sized videos explaining each item, and re-running Queen Elizabeth's 1953 coronation. I watched it live on television, but it was black and white and small in those days, and I was very young. It was fascinating see it again, from color film! In only 3 years, the Queen will celebrate her 50th Jubilee, so I'm not so young myself, huh? There were also a few black and white film clips from George's coronation--was that in 1937?
The jewels and crowns and swords and gold dishes, platters, butteries, salteries, etc. were beyond understanding. No diamond that large can possibly look real, even when you know it must be. The visitor is passed along these galleries on a moving walk, so there is no lingering or crowding possible. Guards everywhere. Worth the sight, altho I had placed it low on my list of must-sees.
Back in the courtyard, we twiddled around some more in the fresh air, looking for shade and a drink. We were exactly in place to witness the changing of the guard.
The Changing of the Guard, step 1.
The Changing of the Guard, step 2.
The retiring guards then marched away toward the Queen's House.
We examined the piece of old wall supposedly from the original Roman wall to their city. It was certainly ancient, and I will believe it once defined an edge of Londinium.
The remnant of the old Roman wall. We communed with the resident Ravens for a while--they aren't friendly, exactly, but they are hams and assume poses on request. I had no trouble getting these 2 to jump up on their perch after clicking my tongue a few times, and exhibiting my camera. They came right over and sat for me! They are much larger than they look in this photo. The story is that if the ravens ever leave the Tower, the monarchy will fail and London will fall.
The Ravens posed readily. Then we climbed the steps into the White Tower, and began a very lengthy and carefully orchestrated walk through the castle. Most of it has been restored, thanks to Queen Victoria's insistence of what she called "Remediavialization". It had been added to and remodeled many times throughout the centuries. Still a working castle, not all the additions could be appropriately removed--but the castle itself looks very much like it must have done in the 11th century! We were fascinated by the displays of armor. Here's Bill trying to fit into Henry VIII's outfit!
Henry VIII's armor and "King William". We visited St. John's Chapel in the White Tower--the oldest church in England. Saturated by the Tower sights, we left the fortress and walked along the Thames. I finally got a picture of the Tower Bridge.
We seemed to gravitate to the river's edge. Then we hopped, via the underground, to trendy Notting Hill Gate. Close to our hotel, we had been curious about this neighboring area. We were looking for food at this point, and entered the Prince Albert pub which was sporting large advertisements for "Real Food." The joke was on us, and every other unknowing visitor, however, when we learned that the sign was only a ruse! One of the barkeepers was from Indiana, however, and enjoyed serving us a beer. Then we ventured back into the streets, located the famous Portabello Road (the market hours were over), ambled around a triangle of trendy terraced residences, and finally located the Sun and Splendor--a pub that really does serve food. It was early yet for Londoners to dine, so we had no trouble finding a table in the pub's back garden. Fish and chips, and a long-needed rest, and we regained some strength. I found this photo of the pub on the internet:
The Tower Bridge was completed in 1894.
Sun & Splendor Pub, Notting Hill. Linda had contracted a London head-cold, so we took the tube back to Bayswater. We could have walked--it wasn't far--but we were used up again. On the Queensway, we found a pharmacy (I thought they were called "chemists", but saw no evidence of this) where Linda bought a few cold-relief items. Then we walked around a different block to the hotel.
(apologies to the unknown photographer)
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Copyright © 2000 Elizabeth Ross.
The writer has made no attempt to use formal grammar, and the stream-of-consciousness style is no doubt replete with errors. It was a real trip, in every sense of the word, and the reader must forgive the run-on sentences, misplaced modifiers, and simple page layout!
