5/19/11 Day 11: London

Today might be my favorite day so far. I did so much on my list that I had trouble telling people all that I had done! I rarely had a moment of waiting around, which is perfect when I had so much to see and do and explore. I also took initiative, found people that were interested in seeing what I wanted to see, and led them around London.

Kensington Gardens

First the three of us went to Kensington Gardens, initially to find the Peter Pan statue. We found it within half an hour, with another hour to spare. So we explored the gardens, looking for other interesting landmarks. We found an awkward statue of a naked man on a horse, representing physical energy. We also found Diana's memorial fountain, which was "under transformation." We found a memorial obelisk to an explorer in Africa, and met some Algerian women who were very kind to us. We also found several dogs, one of which was a puppy that wanted to be petted a lot. I mean a lot.

Tower of London

After that we met up with our group back at the hotel, and went together through the Tower of London. I had no idea that it was so huge. I didn't get to take pictures of the dazzling crown jewels (and unfortunately the gift shop postcards just don't do them justice), but I got to take pictures of everything else, including royal armor and weaponry. It'll be interesting making my camera last through tomorrow.

The Tower has only been breached once, in the year 1381 at 9 a.m.

They had crowns all the way back to George I. There would have been older circlets, but those were melted down when Charles I was executed. George I's crown held over 12,000 diamonds. The royal orb and scepter contain the world's largest cut diamond.

For over 600 years, the Tower served as a royal zoo. Henry III had a polar bear on a leash so he could fish in the Thames. Servants wrapped snakes wrapped in blankets and kept the bundles on stoves to keep them warm. James I designed a "nipple" so he could bottle feed his sick lion cubs. He also had lions, bears, and dogs fight for his entertainment.

I also learned a lot about the British Monarchy's history. Great Britain has only had one joint monarchy, that of William and Mary of Orange. Traditionally, if the king is married before his coronation, his wife is crowned Queen Consort. In today's royal family, Harry served in Afghanistan and William is training to be a Royal Air Force search and rescue pilot.

The Bloody Tower is named for the supposed murder of the Princes there, the sons of Edward IV. Sir Water Raleigh was imprisoned here for marrying one of Elizabeth I's maids in waiting, and for plotting to replace James I. He was freed to explore the Americas for gold. Torture was used to get information and persuade prisoners to sign confessions in the reigns of Henry VIII, Edward IV, Mary I, Elizabeth I, and James I. Torture was ordered for at least 81 prisoners in that time.

The Tower Bridge

Then we got food from a Starbucks (which isn't as expensive when you're in downtown London) and crossed the Tower Bridge. The Subway station seemingly closest to the Globe was closed, so we decided to walk on foot from the Tower Bridge to the Globe. (Once we took pictures from the Millennium Bridge we realized how silly we were in walking so far. We were even more silly when we realized there was a subway station less than a block from St. Paul's, across the bridge from the Globe (sh.)

Yup, that's how far we walked.

Kings Cross Station

At the Globe, Caitlin and I bought tickets to As You Like It (more on that later.) On the way back to the hotel, we stopped at the Kings Cross Station to find the 9 3/4 platform. We searched everywhere and couldn't find it. As we were about to give up, we walked up to a train station employee, who immediately knew we were looking for Harry Potter, and gave us perfect directions. The actual site was quite tacky, but none of us cared.

The Globe

After freshening up at the hotel, Caitlin and I met for pizza and left for the play. It takes about an hour to ride the Tubes from our hotel to St. Paul's. We were groundlings for five pounds each. My feet are killing  me right now, but it was so worth it. I got to see a professional Shakespeare production  at high school prices (plus the conversion rate.) I picked up a lot more innuendos and understood it better than before. Perhaps it was a combination of the production and my four years of college. (I can only hope.) At one point a bearded man cross dressed as a woman, and I'm not sure whether or not the actor cross dressed, or the character cross dressed. Either way, it was hilarious. They also set the play in Victorian times, complete with an old school still camera with a curtain. Some of the actors had crooked teeth and the women playing a male character at the beginning wore higher healed men's shoes. I would have probably waited for autographs, but I knew it was a long ride/walk to our hotel.