A Fortnight with Whit - London, Day 2

Day 2 will definitely be a hard day to top on this trip, it blew my mind on so many different occasions.

We walked along the Thames to get the proper view of Tower Bridge, you have to see it emerge from the river to really understand how impressive it is. The bridge was so busy in the late 1800s that they decided to construct the new bridge, just do deal with traffic, both on land and up the Thames. The building started in 1886 and took eight years to complete.

Tower Bridge

The view from the glass floor on Tower Bridge *note the soul-less selfie stick go-pro-ing*

During WWII, the German fighter planes used Tower Bridge as a landmark and intentionally didn't try to blow it up in the many blitz' that London endured.

A prominent landmark

Justin nerded out a little bit in the Tower Bridge engine room, learning about how the engineers built an engine that runs a coal-to-steam-to-hydrualic-to-mechanical lifting mechanism for the arms of the bridge.  In it's first month of operation alone in 1894, the bridge was lifted more than 650 times.

The coal doors that started the power process for Tower Bridge

Justin hanging out with the turbines that turned the coal-fired steam into hydraulic power

I have a feeling this will make it onto Justin and Kris' wall when they arrive home

My second day in London was even nicer than the first with beaming sunshine and blue skies - absolutely perfect weather for walking around the Tower of London. It seems, I did indeed, bring the sunshine with me.

Beautiful sprawling grounds of the Tower of London

The Tower of London was originally built by William the Conqueror to defend the city from anyone coming up the Thames.  William build the White Tower first and what is now the green lawn you'll see in the pictures was a moat. They subsequently built and inner and outer wall, pushing back the Thames to make more room for the Royal family and their servants, and the army to live within the Tower of London.

We were lucky enough to wander into the Tower of London 10 minutes before a Yeomans tour.  The yeoman are the Queens Guard who live within the gates and protect the tower from intruders. To become a yeoman you must: (1) spend at least 23 years in the British service, (2) get a commendation during your service, and (3) have no record of mis-behaviour in the last 16 years of your service.... and then apply and see if you're selected.  They are a pretty exclusive group because once you become a yeoman, you and your whole family move into the Tower of London  and live there for the duration of your service. 

our yeoman guide

For those of you that like history, the Tower of London and Tower Hill beside, was the site of many of the beheadings of the the day, including some queens who married Henry VIII. Three of his wives  are buried in the chapel onsite, that is still used for Sunday services.

One of the main draws for the Tower of London is the crown jewels.  They have been kept there for hundreds of years and are stored there on display until needed for a royal occasion.  The largest every uncut diamond is located there at a whopping 500+ carats which is nestled in the coronation sceptre. Unfortunately you can't take pictures in there but trust me, that was serious bling.

This was one of the regular guards, not a yeoman, protecting the Crown Jewels

We headed up the White Tower after that which has a showcase of the Line of Kings and a number of military items including swords, cannons, armour - some of it even fit for a boy king.

Mini armour

The White Tower

My favourite part of the White Tower was the stone chapel that was located inside the tower. With three story arch vaulted ceilings and a stone alter, it was breathtaking. I could have spent hours in there - after so much gold and glitz of the crown jewels, the chapel was all the more impressive in simplicity and understated beauty. This was another section where pictures weren't allowed.

Our third stop for the day was at St. Paul's Cathedral - this is the big one where Diana married the Prince of Wales.  It's a gorgeous 365ft domed cathedral that is one of the other most recognizable landmarks in London.

St Paul's Cathedral

The cathedral has a number cool features and lets you walk all the way up three circles to the top, to see one of the nicest views in the city. The first circle is called the Whispering Gallery because the domed shape of it had the unintended effect of allowing you whisper something along the wall on one side of the room and have it be heard by someone with their ear to the wall on the other.  JP and I tried it successfully, it was pretty awesome. Up on the second level, the Stone Gallery where you can look through a glass ceiling to the floor of the cathedral some 250 ft below. After you keep going up another set of narrow and narrower stairs, you finally reach the Golden Gallery after climbing 528 steps. We borrowed Whitney's go-pro camera for these shots and although we hated the selfie stick, some of them turned out really well.

Outside the Whispering Gallery

And then up to the Stone Gallery

A tight squeeze for the last leg of the Cathedral, it's a good thing we aren't claustrophobic

And finally, atop St Pauls, the Golden Gallery

We walked across the Millennium bridge and took advantage of the low tide to find a geocache that is underwater half the time. We had a few good shots on the beach from there too.

Millennium Bridge with St Paul's in the background

Hanging out on the Thames River 'beach' - perfect spot to hide a geocache

 Our last stop for the day, after wharf-side pizza and wine with Robyn and Whit, was to see a performance of A Winter's Tale at the Sam Wannamaker Theatre (the Globe's little brother). I have always loved Shakespeare and this was another must-see for me while we were here.

The Globe! Shakespeare's home theatre

The play was even better than I expected given that the theatre seats about 200 people total and the whole show was done under candlelight.  JP managed to get us seats in the pit that were about 3 feet from the stage, we were so close we got to be part of the play at a few points. 

Sam Wannamaker Theatre

 It was a gorgeous theatre and we had a ton of fun. I'm so glad that we got a chance to see a Shakespeare play, in the spots where he would have been so many hundred years ago. I will admit, I was kind of in nerds paradise. It won't be something I forget for a long time.