June 2nd & 3rd - London

On the second we returned the car and went to our hotel in Chelsea, at the Chelsea Football Club and then rested. We were both very exhausted from the derby!

The next day we took a walking tour which was rather unfortunate. Between the two of us we knew a lot more then him! He got several of his historical facts wrong! I definitely knew more than him and I especially know better historical stories! He told all the boring ones. Well, maybe I'll come back and be a tour guide! I hope Allison comes back with me!

After the tour we went over to the Tower of London. The Beefeater tour was amazing! He definitely knew what he was talking about and was very entertaining. The Beefeaters are retired military and they live with their families at the Tower of London! The Tower of London was started by William the Conqueror with different parts added over time. It has been the home of the Crown Jewels, a fortress, a prison, the royal mint, and where Henry VIII grew up! He hated it there which is why he turned it into a prison! After the tour we saw the crown jewels!!! We couldn't take pictures but they are VERY shiny! One of the crowns was missing because they used it in the coronation service the following day. I especially geeked out being in the same location as some of my favorite historical characters and the reason I fell in love with British Royal history. We saw the stairs Anne Boleyn walked up before her execution as well as the spot several women were executed, and they now have a memorial there.

After all of that we came back and ate dinner across the street from our hotel and had a wonderful drinking our new favorite that we learned about it the derby... SoCo and lemonade! It's not really what we call lemonade it's more like sprite and it's delicious, give it a try sometime!

Our beefeater tour guide

This was originally the royal mint

These are the houses for the beefeaters, specifically these
two houses are the doctor and the chaplain

Crown Jewels!!!

Memorial to the women who did in this spot

Anne Boleyn, second wife of Henry VIII and mother of
Elizabeth I, after 3 years of marriage she was accused of
incest with her brother George and adultery 

Catherine Howard, 5th wife of Henry VIII, had sexual
relations of Thomas Culpepper, one of the king's page boys

Jane Boleyn, wife of George Boleyn (who was also
beheaded with Anne) and later Catherine Howard's lady-in-waiting
(and cousin-in-law!), she covered up the affair with Culpepper
and when they told her she was to be executed she went mad,
they had to quickly pass a law making it legal to execute
someone who was mad

Jane Grey, wife for 9 days in between Edward VI and Mary I,
Edward put her in line for the thrown (they were cousins) in
order to keep the country protestant but Mary killed her
(and lots of other people AKA Bloody Mary) and succeeded
as Queen.

The white tour, the first tower of the Tower of London, built
by William the Conqueror in 1066-1078

The stairs Anne Boleyn walked up to
her execution and the traitor's gate

being productive at dinner and writing
postcards