Tower of London

Yesterday I went to the Tower of London, which was amazing. It is a really cool sight, and I walk by it everyday on my way to work. I enjoyed seeing it from the inside and viewing the crown jewels (which I couldn't take pictures of). Also, here's a fun fact: one of the crowns was missing because it was "In Use," i.e. on the Queen's head as she gave her speech for opening Parliament.

The Tower of London in all its glory. This picture does not convey the magnificence/hugeness of the Tower.

Tower Bridge. Way cooler than London Bridge.

The shooting of the cannons. I arrived just in time to see this!

There was lots of smoke everytime they shot a cannon.

When the ceremony was over, they hooked the cannons up to trucks and drove them away.

This is a picture just inside the entrance of the Tower.

Ravens and their cages. According to superstition, when there are no ravens at the Tower of London, the monarchy will fall. So, by law, the Tower of London must have at least 6 ravens at all times. Now it has 8 and their wings are "trimmed."

The inside of the Tower of London looks and feels like a small village.

A memorial plastic pillow to commemorate the spot where two queens had their heads chopped off.

This building houses the crown jewels.

The White Tower. This is what the Tower of London is all about. It's a museum now, and there is a chapel inside.

A chopping block and ax. Apparently there were health and sanitation requirements for beheading (why? the world may never know), and a block could only be used once. However, this one was used twice and the executioner got in trouble and the Tower of London got to keep the block and put it in a museum.

Giant armor and baby armor. The giant armor was made for a 6ft 9in man who apparently did not exist, and the baby armor is made for "too perfect" of a body, so these were apparently just examples of an armor-maker's work.

All in all, it was a great day, and I really lucked out with timing. I arrived just in time to see the cannon ceremony and then get a Beefeaters tour. And I walked into the White Tower just in time for one of the 3 tours they give during the day. It was very informative.

One thing I thought was funny: The Tower of London has been used for almost paradoxical purposes -- to imprison criminals and to protect royals. I guess its really good for keeping some people in and other people out. The Tower has had so much history occur within its walls -- from beheadings, to marriages, to baptisms, to torture, etc. Crazy. It's definitely a cool place.