Last Day in London « Summer Fling--A Travel Blog

Tuesday, April 25, 2006

Last Day in London

Tower(s) of London. (Warning: Geek overload)
Our day started at 1025, at Tower Hill. Walking towards the Tower of London, we saw the Wakefield Gardens and a really funky sundial commemorating London’s (England’s?) Jubilee. When we reached the Tower, Dad rented the audioguide. We started walking.
Outside the Tower

First of all—whoah. There was a moat! Without water, true, but an actual moat made the medieval geek in me giddy. We saw the St. Thomas Tower, built in 1280, where the prisoners with traitors’ brands were set free. The Bloody Tower, 1225, and the Wakefield Tower had exhibits of torture. “Torture At the Tower” Featured instruments such as the Scavenger’s Daughter (a contraption wherein the prisoner was folded into three), the Rack (stretchy!), and the Manacles.

Contrary to belief, the display proclaimed, the English rarely resorted to torture.
We saw the White Tower, where the bones of two small children were discovered. It’s widely believed that these were the remains of the two missing princes, who were maybe imprisoned and executed by their ruthless uncle because they were in line for the throne. Whether Richard did this or not is highly debatable.
The White Tower served a variety of purposes (Aside from the two boys, a Welsh prince was also imprisoned here). So the White Tower was used as a prison, some royal lodgings, an armory, a mint, and a zoo—alas, the latter no more. It would’ve been funny to see lions roaming the grounds. Besides the St. John’s Chapel (which was really pretty, in the medieval-monastic-yet-at-the-same-time-unmistakably-regal kind of way), the only rooms remaining were the Royal Armouries.

   As in the Grandmaster’s Hall in Malta, I was pretty giddy. What can I say? I love weapons and warfare of history. (I’m strictly against current senseless bloodshed, however. Quaint and curious war is, my tush.). I eagerly listed down the objects: 16th c. Holy Water Sprinkler (a mace); King James I’s Japanese Armor; a 1520 Flemish Sabre..
   …I wonder how the team would look like using those. ^_^
   Then, the civil war stuff. Swordguns, Harquebusiers, bronze falcons—the names were effing cool. There was an exhibit on the Gunpowder Plot on the next floor. At that time I had not yet watched V for Vendetta, but I nevertheless sympathized with Guy Fawkes. In those days Catholics were really suffering (stupid Catholic Vs. Protestant wars. We’re all Christians, y’know. and for that matter, we are all humans, Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists…). In a way, what Guy Fawkes and his compatriots did in 1605 was heroic, since they felt that there was no other option but to change the political system.
   I hate repression.
   We also got to see the crown jewels. My mom is a jeweler, so I thought seeing the crowns and scepters, and pretty swords encrusted with gems wouldn’t faze me. I was wrong, big time. My mouth was agape the whole time as I gazed upon the tiaras with crushed velvet, the gold plates, the state trumpets. I saw the famous Koh-I-Noor Diamond.
The Tower

We ate our lunch there. And then at 2, we met up with Mom (who was shopping the whole time in Harrod’s) outside the House of Parliament.

Posted at 02:05 pm by summerfling

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