I've been to England--Let me Brag Day 2

This was a dream come true day for me. This was merry old England at its best.

This is a catapult right outside of the Tower of London. THE Tower of London. Check on Bucket List. Anybody who knows me well, knows I love things of a ...darker nature (nothing too dark--could be wicked, but isn't), so it is easy to see why I love this building. The Tower of London has a rich, dark past. We weren't allowed to take pictures of the Crown Jewels (there is a conveyor belt sidewalk in front of them, too, so you can't see them too long). But believe me. I saw them. and I drooled--lots of swords, crowns,  and flashy, desirable gems. Many people take lessons away with them after seeing culturally significant places and things. I am the same. The lesson I took was that if I am ever to get married, I'll know if a man really loves me if he gets me something comparable to Collinan I (the First Star of Africa) the largest top quality cut diamond in the world, 530 carats. My mom insists I am picky, but I am convinced I just have standards. Every girl should draw the line somewhere. :) 

 

Here is Bloody Tower. THE Bloody Tower: place where the two princes were killed by Richard III (great book by Alison Weir on this, Princes of the Tower) and Anne Boleyn and many, many others were kept. 

Here is Tower Green--place where Anne Boleyn, Catherine Howard (both of the Henry VIII fame) and Lady Jane Grey (great book by Alison Weir on her, Innocent Traitor) were beheaded, along with 7 others. Most were dragged up the hill outside of the Tower. This spot was reserved for private executions. 

This is the white tower--the first part of the tower of london--I mean, of William the Conqueror acclaim, for goodness sake! I wanted to run up to the building and kiss it, but the beefeaters would have had my head, or turned the ravens on me! Those cages in the background are for the ravens in the tower. Those things are HUGE--I mean,  3xs the size of a normal raven. They are fed a ridiculous amount of food--they say as long as their are ravens at the tower, London will never fall. 

This is King Henry VIII's full armor. ..there is something very uncomfortable about this piece of armor, but I am too much a lady to discuss it. Henry and I have a love/hate relationship (which seemed pretty common with many of the ladies in his life..)

This is the stairwell that was being repaired in the late 18th century, where they uncovered the bodies of the two little princes, killed by their uncle and hidden. This story has always made me ache. 

Oh, my beautiful tower! I could have spent all day wandering your halls and exploring your secrets. 

the mandatory proof that I was there. 

My favorite piece of London architecture. I want to have this picture framed as I love Benny so much. 

I can't tell you how much I loved this place. I think I had my most moving experience here. I brushed my had across Queen Elizabeth's and Bloody Mary's tombs. Next door I paused next to Mary Queen of Scots. I was in the presence of King James. I stood next to Chaucer, Browning, Darwin, Newton; I stood on Dickens and Hardy (I might have danced a bit on him). Handel was there. Ben Johnson was there. They were all dead, but the place was alive with energy. The powerful, the creative. The weak and the strong--all piled into this building. Only in England. sigh.

I loved it. 

This is the infamous Bedlam hospital for the insane. I just felt a tremendous sadness come from this place. Such a sad, sad history. 

MI-6. Home of the British intelligence. 007 is hiding in there somewhere. 

Off to Buckingham Palace. 

It was a beautiful place,very majestic. 

My favorite part was, of course, the Queen Victoria memorial for her Jubilee anniversary. 

We walked back up towards Trafalgar Square through the beautiful parks surrounding the palace.

Oh, beautiful Nelson's column. 

Then off to the Royal Theater to see Les Miserables. Honestly, I was thinking it was going to be subpar and I wasn't very excited, but it was INCREDIBLE. The cast was so engaged. I've seen too many musicals, where the cast just phones it in (anybody else's Phantom of the Opera experience like mine?) Their voices and their performances were so powerful. AND we sat next to this beautiful British boy who works at the British version of Consumer Reports (he told us during our intermission chat). He just moved from Manchester a couple of weeks prior, and his family came down to visit him and take him to a show. Every time he would get up for something (3xs) he would give me a sweet smile and "cheers". I think we had a moment. As fate would have it, we ran into him and his family again at the National Gallery--isn't that a beautiful way for a true love story to open? I recognized him instantly and was ready to play my part as the heroine of the destined lead couple in this romantic drama. Unfortunately, he was too shy and surely too overcome with emotion to approach me, I think. Instead, he pretended not to know me and walked by without even a glance. He can pretend all he wants--I know the truth. :)