The Tower of London

---

A place of death, torture, captivity, jewels, and beasts is what you will find at the Tower of London. This is where people who were elite or royalty were beheaded or held prisoner. There are actually 21 different towers on the site called the Tower of London. It's mostly known for the beheading's that take place there. William Hastings, Anne Boleyn, Jane Boleyn, and Lady Jane Grey are some of the more famous beheading's that took place there. When someone was being beheaded it didn't always go according to plan. Sometimes it would take several swings to completely take the head off and in between hacks the executed would still be alive. This is why Queen Anne Boleyn wanted to be beheaded with a sword and it was said that all it took was once and her head was swiped off cleanly.

One of the most famous towers I visited was the White Tower. Inside this tower they show different armor that was worn by royalty, weaponry used throughout the centuries, and also the 11th-century Chapel of St. John the Evangelist. It had a huge sword that was 5+ feet tall and cannons that were the largest I've ever seen! In another building were the dazzling crown jewels. This ranged from scepters, crowns, rings and tiaras. The Imperial State Crown alone has 2,868 diamonds, 273 pearls, 17 sapphires, 11 emeralds and 5 rubies. The entire collection has 23,578 gems! It was amazing to see all of those jewels sparkling. They even showed a crown with all of the gems taken out in order to show the tiny tools that are used to place each in the crown by hand. It's incredible and must have taken forever to make just the smallest bracelet.

Other exhibits included Royal Beasts, the Ravens, and a medieval palace. Kings and Queens were thought to have everything, so what would people give them as gifts? Exotic animals were the answer! They were kept at the Royal Menagerie and called the Royal Beasts. There were lions, a polar bear, elephants, kangaroos, tigers, and many more species. It was an interactive exhibit where you could push buttons and see things that lit up. A cage was also available for you to squeeze into and snap a picture. The Ravens are a myth within itself. Charles II insisted that the ravens of the Tower should be protected. According to legend the Tower will fall if there are less than six ravens on the fortress at any given time. Currently there are more than six ravens. You can see them roaming the around or there are a few within the cage. They are a bit aggressive so don't get too close! The medieval palace is a recreation of King Edward I's bedchamber and it's in St. Thomas's Tower. There were times when kings and queens would stay in this bedroom during their short visits to the fortress. The Tower of London is an interesting but dark place that is heavy with sadness because of all of the death and evil that took place within the fortress.

Friday I returned to the Imperial War Museum to explore the WWI & WWII exhibits. They were interesting to say the least. It started out informative with a lot on different types of uniforms from all branches of military and the different type of weaponry used. I really liked how they explained and showed what the home life was like and that people were rationed as to how much they could spend on clothes and food. They also had a reenactment of the trenches that you could walk through which I enjoyed the most. You really saw how trench life was and how dark it could be for a soldier. For WWII they focused on propaganda and again with the uniforms and artillery. It seemed a little repetitive at times and it was actually difficult to navigate through the exhibits. They tried to split it up between era's and locations that the war occurred in, but there was no flow as to what exhibit to go in first to which to go into next. On the main floor they have different planes, tanks, and bombs that are from multiple wars and they had the first atomic bomb that was dropped on Japan called 'Little Boy' which was not little at all. I would want to see the second bomb 'Fat Man.'

Saturday we ventured over to the Bermonsdey Street Festival. We actually arrived when everything was being packed up so we didn't get to see much. They did have street performers doing different acts and stories. Also, there were bands singing and street vendors selling there random items like purses, make your own bracelets, or home made foods. It felt like the Waterfront that's in Rockford, IL, so it felt exactly like home. It was a great end to a relaxing weekend.

---