London, England - Day 2

Today, we are headed to the Tower of London, St. Paul's Cathedral, and Piccadilly Circus.

But before we go any further, I would like to say that if you have landed at this blog and have not viewed London, Day 1, I highly recommend you go there first then come back to Day 2. However, if you'd prefer to continue from here, lets go.

Below are a few pictures taken as we head to our first stop which is The Tower of London. This first picture is of the Tower Bridge. More on this later.

Partial view of the Eye of London.

A London street sign.

The Tower of London is an iconic castle and world heritage site. In its day, it served as a secure fortress, royal palace and an infamous prison.

William the Conqueror built the mighty stone tower at the center of his London fortress in the 1070s. And to this day, the Tower still has the capacity to fascinate and horrify. As protector of the Crown Jewels, home of the Yeomen Warders and its legendary guardians, the pampered ravens, the Tower attracts over three million visitors a year.

More information and its history can be found at https://www.hrp.org.uk/tower-of-london.

Views of the fortress.

The Tower Bridge was built between 1886 and 1894 and has spent more than a century as London's defining landmark - an icon of London and the United Kingdom. If you want to learn about the historical events that led to the Bridge's construction, how Tower Bridge was built, and how it lifts the road for river traffic as well as some of the key and quirky events from the Bridge's history, go to (https://www.towerbridge.org.uk).

Selfie with the Tower Bridge in the background.

Our guide providing a bit of history.

Random pictures.

From the 1200s to 1835, the Tower housed a menagerie of exotic wild animals, never before seen in London, including lions and a polar bear given as royal gift.

Ravens at the Tower.

A telephone booth within the Tower. It is so strange seeing these.

More random pictures.

The White Tower

The White Tower is the most famous castle keep in the world. It was built to awe, subdue and terrify Londoners, and to deter foreign invaders. It is an iconic symbol of London and Britain.

Next Stop in the Tower - The Crown Jewels

Pictures were not allowed in the Crown Jewels vault - for obvious reasons - so I took what I could until I got to the entrance. The line to get in was not bad at all.

Got a short video of one of the guards doing his routine.

Selfie shot.

Beauchamp Tower

The Beauchamp Tower was built around 1281 during the reign of Edward I, as part of the Tower's inner defensive wall. The Tower takes its name from Thomas Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick, who was imprisoned there at the end of the 14th century for rebelling against Richard II.

Throughout the Tower of London, you will find Yeoman Warders - also known as Beefeaters. They conduct tours and are very helpful to visitors.

Yeoman Warders were originally part of the Yeoman of the Guard – the monarch’s personal, crack bodyguard who traveled with him everywhere. Henry VIII decided that the Tower should be protected by part of the royal bodyguard. These ‘Yeoman Warders’ were eventually granted the right to wear the splendid red uniform, which today is known as the state dress uniform and is worn on state occasions such as the monarch’s birthday. The more durable everyday dark blue ‘undress’ uniform was introduced in the 19th century.

Today’s Yeoman Warders need to have at least 22 years’ military service. Apart from that, they need to have reached the rank of warrant officer and to have been awarded the long service and good conduct medal.

Here is a solo picture of a Yeoman Warder and one with both of us.

The next few pictures and videos will share some of the history of the Tower of London.

Short video of Kings, their armor and their horses.

Line of Kings video.

St. John's Chapel.

Staff Weapons.

Kings' Swords.

The Lumley Horseman.

Arms as Art.

Directional signs provided throughout the Tower.

Walking up the steps in the White Tower.

Gloriana's Tower - The Tower under Queen Elizabeth I.

His name is Keeper. Wonder what is being kept. Hmmmmm

Video of Exhibit in the Tower.

Dining pods at the Tower of London.

Leaving the Tower of London.

This video lasts 7:25. Our tour guide is providing quite the history lesson on the line of succession to the throne. You might enjoy this discussion. We are leaving the Tower of London and heading to St. Paul's Cathedral.

Some views along the way.

Mixing the old with the new architecture.

Riding alongside of the Thames River.

Arriving near St. Paul's Cathedral. We had to park the bus and walk a short distance.

I remember hearing about Liverpool Street back in the day.

Arriving at St. Paul's Cathedral.

We had to go through security at the tent to enter the Cathedral.

Once inside the Cathedral, the views were breathtaking. I took lots of pictures and a few videos. I'm sharing them with minimal narration. Here we go:

Video of inside the Cathedral.

Two videos of ceiling views.

Mother and Child Sculpture.

The Cathedral also had a section honoring those who gave their lives during the war. It includes Americans also.

This commemoration is so near and dear to my heart. I was not aware that this had been done in November of 1958.

The Crypt in St. Paul's Cathedral.

Short video walking through the Crypt.

Two videos honoring soldiers who gave their lives.

Last few pictures inside of St. Paul's Cathedral.

Had to take a picture of this statue on the way out.

More random views.

Harrods

Yes, I did go to Harrods and do a little - or maybe a lot of - shopping. Here are a few pics. I couldn't continue to take pics and shop too. (lol) www.harrods.com

Once back at our hotel and after a short rest, the DeTours, Inc. crew went to explore Piccadilly Circus. We took the Tube (metro) to get there.

Piccadilly Circus

First answer to an often-asked question. No, Piccadilly Circus is not an actual circus as we naturally think when we hear that word. Piccadilly Circus is a road junction and public space in London's West End in the City of Westminster. It was built in 1819 to connect Regent and Piccadilly streets. In this context, a circus - from the Latin word meaning "circle," is a round open space at a street junction.

Piccadilly Circus is full of shops, theaters and restaurants. People visiting will see giant screens with various advertisements. The Piccadilly lights are at the center of the Circus, just across the street from the London Underground stop. You can Google Piccadilly Circus for more information and pictures.

Here are a couple short videos of Piccadilly Circus.

Shouts out to a few of the DeTours, Inc. crew.

Selfie at Piccadilly Circus.

Other random views.

While walking about, look at what I came upon. As I mentioned in London, Day 1, I've been warned not to touch any telephone booth and have obeyed. Still, it is astonishing to see them be so prominent in other countries while they are obsolete in the United States.

Time to find someplace to eat. There were so many options, the nine of us were having a hard time deciding on one place. We finally narrowed it down and ended up at the Granaio Piccadilly Italian Restaurant. The food was delicious.

London, Day 2 was certainly a continuation of learning and amazement . Again, if you have not viewed London, Day 1, I hope you will consider doing so. And stay tuned for my London, Day 3 blog coming soon.

Thank you for coming along with me from the comfort of your home or wherever you may be viewing this blog and consider viewing any or all previous blogs you may have missed.

Until then......