Day 26

Our last day in London was going to be busy. Our first stop was the Tower of London. The Underground lines were all running with no down areas, so getting there was much simpler than it was over the weekend. We had gotten fast pass tickets to the tower from Dave, so we didn't have to stand in line for that. We just went straight to the entrance. As we waited for the first tour of the morning, quite a crowd gathered. Even the Yeoman Warder that was our guide was surprised by how many people showed up on a cold Monday morning to see the Tower. We learned some very interesting facts about the Tower, and Bill the Warder was very humorous. Most people think of the Tower as a prison or site of execution, but in fact over its history it hasn't held that many prisoners. It was mostly a defensive structure where the kings and queens of England were housed and protected. To satisfy the crowd, though, Bill told about some of the more gruesome executions. Beheadings were reserved for nobility, while commoners that were convicted of treason were hanged, drawn, and quartered. I never quite understood why you would draw and quarter someone you've already hanged, but this wasn't a hanging like we used to have in the States where one dies from a quick snap of the neck. They pull you up so you strangle. When they're going to draw and quarter you too, they let you down before you're dead and revive you. Then they slice you open and pull out your entrails while you're still alive, and plop them into a sizzling pan. Then, they cut off your head and cut your body into four pieces. This is what they did to William Wallace (hero of the movie "Braveheart"). According to Bill, he passed through the Tower of London, but being a commoner, he wasn't beheaded and wasn't held in the Tower. He got the hang, drawn and quartered treatment. We saw the Crown Jewels, including the Star of Africa, set in the Scepter With the Cross, and the Koh-i-noor diamond, which came from India. Bill said that the British stole from everyone.

We also saw the Bloody Tower, originally called the Garden Tower, but the name was changed for marketing purposes (according to Bill). This was where Sir Walter Raleigh was kept prisoner, and tortured every day. His wife was locked up with him (another Bill joke). Then we went through the White Tower. This contains the ancient armaments and armor of the royal families and their defenders. This included the armor of Henry VIII. If you look at the pictures, you'll note that he was a man of considerable girth. You may also note what Bill referred to as "psychological warfare" in the construction of part of the armor. I'll say no more.

Our next stop was the London Eye. I had resisted this, and not planned on doing it. I'm not very comfortable with heights, and hate ferris wheels. I was assured I would be comfortable in this, though, as it's completely enclosed and safe. We took the Tube to Westminster Station, and crossed the bridge and it was right there. When we went through the security check, the officer asked if I had any knives or weapons, to which I replied no. Then she asked if I had any chocolates or sweets, and again I had to reply no, but promised next time I would be sure to have some. As we were going up, we could see rain heading our way, and while we were on the ride, it was raining quite heavily. After we rounded the top, though, it moved off and by the time we got to the bottom, it was no longer raining, and the wind had even died down somewhat. I don't think we got any great pictures because the capsule we were in was covered in rain drops, but it was an interesting view and at least we were out of the rain.

Back on the Tube, it was only a couple of stops to Victoria Station. This time, we knew which way to go but wanted to head down Victoria Street to see what kind of shops were there. I kind of wanted a clean shirt to wear on the trip home tomorrow, but we only found one store with men's clothes and I didn't really see anything I liked so we headed back to the hotel. Jan had to stop and look for some souvenirs of London for a few people, and I went to see if Dave could call the Dorchester and make sure our package got sent off alright. They assured me it had, so when Jan showed up we headed up to the room to rest up before our "Jack the Ripper" walking tour.
We bundled up for our night on the streets and headed to Tower Hill station to meet up with the tour. There were a lot of people gathering. I couldn't believe that on a cold, wet night like this so many people would want to go out on a walking tour. I guess I'm not the only nut in London. It turned out there were two guides, so they split the group up. We went with the first guy because it didn't seem like many people were going and I preferred a smaller group. He didn't seem like he must have been very experienced, though, because we were walking along a fairly busy sidewalk and he turned off and most of us didn't notice and kept walking. Someone finally asked where the guide was, and we walked back a short ways and found him down a side alley. The group was rather smaller than when we started, so he ran back to the street and flagged down the rest of the group. He was giving us all the gory details of the Ripper murders, and Jan was clearly not comfortable with it. When it started raining, that was the last straw. We left the group and walked back to the main street and flagged down a cab. In just a few minutes we were back at the Rubens and heading back up to the room.

The rest of our party were all going to the theater, and we were cold and tired so we just went upstairs and ordered room service. The food was pretty good, and it was nice to just relax and watch television and eat together.