We woke up at 7:30 am and after relaxing for about half an hour, we had the butter croissants that we had purchased the night before and then had complimentary in-room coffee with biscuits. Then we got ready and left the hotel at around 11 am. We stopped at a chain cafe called Eat that's one block away from our hotel for a second breakfast. I had an avocado and egg sandwich with ciabatta bread and Samia had a toast with avocado spread. We also shared a latte. All ingredients were fresh so everything tasted great.
Then we walked to a nearby bus stop and boarded the red double decker bus to London Bridge. When people think of the London Bridge, the image that comes to mind is that of a bridge that passes through two giant towers - that's not the London Bridge, it's the Tower Bridge. London Bridge is a very plain looking modern bridge and the name is perhaps more significant for a nearby station by the same name that's a major junction for the underground tube and rail service. Then we walked for about ten minutes to our main sightseeing attraction of the day, the Tower of London.
The Tower of London is a medieval complex of buildings that's still intact. It gets its name from a white tower that was one of the first buildings to be built within the complex. There is a main castle in the middle surrounded on all sides by towers and stone buildings, some of which serve as a museum now. One of the buildings is a chapel and one old barracks has been converted to a modern cafe for tourists. The buildings are behind a tall thick wall that used to be guarded. Beyond the thick wall used to be a moat filled with water and the other end of the moat was another thick guarded wall, shorter than the inner wall but still quite tall. There used to be only a couple of bridges connecting this fortress to the rest of the city but when those were drawn, it was virtually impossible to penetrate this stronghold. It was built in the mid-eleventh century by the then English king as a means of intimidating the residents of London with the power of the royal crown. Through the centuries, it was used as a prison for notorious criminals and enemies of the state and had state of the art torture techniques. Just outside the stone building complex is a small square that's now next to the ticket booth. This square has witnessed many executions that were carried out using a chopping block and axe. The axe and the chopping block are now on display inside the tower.
We bought our tickets and waited for about half an hour for the next guided tour of the Tower of London. These guided tours are conducted by the so-called beefeaters. These beefeaters were the guards of the tower and got the name because of the generous quota of beef that they got from the monarch. Currently, there are 35 beefeaters and to this day, they live with their families inside the tower. This was an extremely entertaining one hour long tour with typical British humor being employed while narrating gory stories and the history of the tower. We found out during the tour that among the many executed at the tower, some of them were members of the royal family that were executed on the monarch's orders. Specifically there was a king who had a few of his wives executed as they were unable to provide him with a male heir. We also found out about how one executioner botched an execution because he was drunk and needed seven strokes of the axe to kill the poor victim on his block!
After the guided tour, we went to the cafe to have lunch. To our surprise, unlike most tourist attraction cafes that offer very one dimensional food, it had a great variety of cuisines. We had a roast chicken leg with steamed veggies and butter chicken with rice. After the lunch, we got in line to see the most famous items housed inside the Tower of London - the Crown Jewels. We saw the scepters, orbs and crowns of various monarchs of the past including a crown that has the 530-carat Cullinan diamond from South Africa and the crown with the Koh-i-Noor diamond from India. We also saw the extravagant gold vessels that are used for royal coronations and important events. We also learnt that the royal crown can never leave England so when King George visited India just before the partition of British India, new crowns were forged for him and his queen to wear in India.
We also checked out the Fusiliers museum that pays tribute to the Fusilier soldiers of the British Crown. Perhaps the most interesting thing about the British is the continuity of traditions that they've held on to for centuries, with adaptations to keep up with changing times - they still follow royal protocols, still have a monarch, the palaces are active palaces, Westminster Abbey is an active church and in the same vein, the Fusiliers are active soldiers that still fight in wars around the world. There was a sample Fusilier backpack on display that people were invited to lift. It was very heavy and I could only briefly lift it, only to find out that the typical Fusilier backpack is much heavier than the one on display! Then we visited the Beauchamp tower where various prisoners who were held there for multiple years have left their mark on the walls in the form of engravings - quotes, last words or their coat of arms.
In the remaining time, we could've gone up some of the other towers or walked on the inner wall but instead we decided to visit the coin museum that's located inside what used to be the coin mint of the day located inside the tower. Now it's next to where the beefeaters live with their families. The coin museum chronicles the different techniques that were used over time to mint coins. We were surprised to find out that Sir Isaac Newton was the Master of the mint. When he wasn't busy theorizing gravity or the laws of motion, he would find new techniques to make the coin minting process more efficient. We learnt that to this day, British currency Pound Sterling has the face of the reigning monarch on it. This means that when a new monarch ascends to the throne after the much loved Queen Elizabeth the second, all currency will have to be reprinted. It was time for the Tower of London to be closed for the day so we decided to head out. Then we rested for a few minutes at a bench next to the River Thames and took a few pictures with the tower bridge in the background. We walked back to the London Bridge bus stop and took the bus back to our hotel where we rested for an hour.
We left for dinner around 6:30 pm and took the underground tube. London's transit system is the most comprehensive and efficient that we've witnessed anywhere in the world. Due to its coverage, it rivals the Japanese train system in Tokyo but is probably slightly better than the transit system of New York City or Paris. We got off at Oxford Street that's a lively shopping street. We passed through a narrow alley that opened into a square where our restaurant was located. It was a Turkish restaurant with delicious food and efficient service. We got hummus and mahmara for appetizers. My main course was a mixed grill plate with two types of lamb kababs and a chicken filet whereas Samia got chicken Shish Tawook. To make room for dessert, I had the traditional Turkish tea while Samia had mint tea. Then we had kunafe for dessert which is by far our most favorite middle eastern dessert. We don't have any Turkish restaurants in Calgary so the excellent depth of cosmopolitan London's culinary scene is our chance to enjoy delicious Turkish food. After dinner, we took the tube back to our hotel and went to bed.
Then we walked to a nearby bus stop and boarded the red double decker bus to London Bridge. When people think of the London Bridge, the image that comes to mind is that of a bridge that passes through two giant towers - that's not the London Bridge, it's the Tower Bridge. London Bridge is a very plain looking modern bridge and the name is perhaps more significant for a nearby station by the same name that's a major junction for the underground tube and rail service. Then we walked for about ten minutes to our main sightseeing attraction of the day, the Tower of London.
The Tower of London is a medieval complex of buildings that's still intact. It gets its name from a white tower that was one of the first buildings to be built within the complex. There is a main castle in the middle surrounded on all sides by towers and stone buildings, some of which serve as a museum now. One of the buildings is a chapel and one old barracks has been converted to a modern cafe for tourists. The buildings are behind a tall thick wall that used to be guarded. Beyond the thick wall used to be a moat filled with water and the other end of the moat was another thick guarded wall, shorter than the inner wall but still quite tall. There used to be only a couple of bridges connecting this fortress to the rest of the city but when those were drawn, it was virtually impossible to penetrate this stronghold. It was built in the mid-eleventh century by the then English king as a means of intimidating the residents of London with the power of the royal crown. Through the centuries, it was used as a prison for notorious criminals and enemies of the state and had state of the art torture techniques. Just outside the stone building complex is a small square that's now next to the ticket booth. This square has witnessed many executions that were carried out using a chopping block and axe. The axe and the chopping block are now on display inside the tower.
We bought our tickets and waited for about half an hour for the next guided tour of the Tower of London. These guided tours are conducted by the so-called beefeaters. These beefeaters were the guards of the tower and got the name because of the generous quota of beef that they got from the monarch. Currently, there are 35 beefeaters and to this day, they live with their families inside the tower. This was an extremely entertaining one hour long tour with typical British humor being employed while narrating gory stories and the history of the tower. We found out during the tour that among the many executed at the tower, some of them were members of the royal family that were executed on the monarch's orders. Specifically there was a king who had a few of his wives executed as they were unable to provide him with a male heir. We also found out about how one executioner botched an execution because he was drunk and needed seven strokes of the axe to kill the poor victim on his block!
After the guided tour, we went to the cafe to have lunch. To our surprise, unlike most tourist attraction cafes that offer very one dimensional food, it had a great variety of cuisines. We had a roast chicken leg with steamed veggies and butter chicken with rice. After the lunch, we got in line to see the most famous items housed inside the Tower of London - the Crown Jewels. We saw the scepters, orbs and crowns of various monarchs of the past including a crown that has the 530-carat Cullinan diamond from South Africa and the crown with the Koh-i-Noor diamond from India. We also saw the extravagant gold vessels that are used for royal coronations and important events. We also learnt that the royal crown can never leave England so when King George visited India just before the partition of British India, new crowns were forged for him and his queen to wear in India.
We also checked out the Fusiliers museum that pays tribute to the Fusilier soldiers of the British Crown. Perhaps the most interesting thing about the British is the continuity of traditions that they've held on to for centuries, with adaptations to keep up with changing times - they still follow royal protocols, still have a monarch, the palaces are active palaces, Westminster Abbey is an active church and in the same vein, the Fusiliers are active soldiers that still fight in wars around the world. There was a sample Fusilier backpack on display that people were invited to lift. It was very heavy and I could only briefly lift it, only to find out that the typical Fusilier backpack is much heavier than the one on display! Then we visited the Beauchamp tower where various prisoners who were held there for multiple years have left their mark on the walls in the form of engravings - quotes, last words or their coat of arms.
In the remaining time, we could've gone up some of the other towers or walked on the inner wall but instead we decided to visit the coin museum that's located inside what used to be the coin mint of the day located inside the tower. Now it's next to where the beefeaters live with their families. The coin museum chronicles the different techniques that were used over time to mint coins. We were surprised to find out that Sir Isaac Newton was the Master of the mint. When he wasn't busy theorizing gravity or the laws of motion, he would find new techniques to make the coin minting process more efficient. We learnt that to this day, British currency Pound Sterling has the face of the reigning monarch on it. This means that when a new monarch ascends to the throne after the much loved Queen Elizabeth the second, all currency will have to be reprinted. It was time for the Tower of London to be closed for the day so we decided to head out. Then we rested for a few minutes at a bench next to the River Thames and took a few pictures with the tower bridge in the background. We walked back to the London Bridge bus stop and took the bus back to our hotel where we rested for an hour.
We left for dinner around 6:30 pm and took the underground tube. London's transit system is the most comprehensive and efficient that we've witnessed anywhere in the world. Due to its coverage, it rivals the Japanese train system in Tokyo but is probably slightly better than the transit system of New York City or Paris. We got off at Oxford Street that's a lively shopping street. We passed through a narrow alley that opened into a square where our restaurant was located. It was a Turkish restaurant with delicious food and efficient service. We got hummus and mahmara for appetizers. My main course was a mixed grill plate with two types of lamb kababs and a chicken filet whereas Samia got chicken Shish Tawook. To make room for dessert, I had the traditional Turkish tea while Samia had mint tea. Then we had kunafe for dessert which is by far our most favorite middle eastern dessert. We don't have any Turkish restaurants in Calgary so the excellent depth of cosmopolitan London's culinary scene is our chance to enjoy delicious Turkish food. After dinner, we took the tube back to our hotel and went to bed.
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