I'm so glad I wasn't here last week

Jul 13, 2012 10:14

That storm I mentioned? One of my coworkers had such a down draft on her home that it shoved the roof in and bowed out the walls on either side, doing almost 40K worth of damage. SOme places still have no power. I got lucky, really lucky here.

The vet kept Soul another day but didn't tell her tech what, if anything is wrong. Okay something IS wrong. Blood is coming out his butt. There is something wrong.

Kanda nearly broke my nose. He's SO excited to have me all to himself that he keeps head butting me. One head butt (battering ram, whatever) slammed right into my nose.

THe power outage from the storm cost me nearly all the plants in the greenhouse. Might as well have flushed the money.

And in things that are too funny (at least to me) I was editing the story Staples (with still NO clear idea to my pen name but still living with the fear that my conservative college wouldn't appreciate some of what I write), I was reminded that Sulien's father was supposed to be Llwellyn ap Gruffydd. ie this guy.




The day started out awful. I had a migraine of epic proportions. It was so bad I nearly stayed home but I knew I was only going to get 2 days in London and I couldn't see both Highgate AND the Tower of London in one day. I had planned out to see the Tower of London first then to Westminster but I was barely able to eat a few swallows of yogurt and I spent the morning talking to customer service for my international phone since it was letting me call America but not England.

I finally staggered out of the house with Bobfish's well drafted routes in hand. I actually got to the Tower of London without any problems. Dad will be happy to know that Liverpool Street station is more Victorian looking (he was disappointed when I said Euston station looked more like a modern airport than a romantic Victorianesque one).

I took some photos of a ship memorial in front of what I think must be even MORE ship memorial(not really sure what that building is) and pictures of the Memorial (maybe) building. I also got some of a church across the street that I don't know the name of but I liked the looks. By now I thought I could hold down lunch (figures I was still on the verge of migraine vomiting when at Liverpool St station with all its food choices). I saw one restaurant (and only one), honed in only to find out it was obviously for the wealthy but the liberty bonds pub next door was reasonable. (naturally after I ate there I found the fast food across the street).


the building behind the ship memorial that might still be part of the ship memorial


The ship memorial had a horseshoe honor roll broken up with very cool gods and goddesses like this one and this one



What can I saw about the Tower of London other than I loved it? It was a bucket list item for me so I was thrilled. I had wanted to go on a Yeoman Warder (Beefeater) guided tour but they kept putting them off so I just paired for the audio guide and off I went. I was still pretty sick when I saw the armor exhibit so all the crowds and ill behave kids got to me. I did see all the armor but didn't read anything talking about it (the visual aura crap that goes with migraines made that hard to do and the crowds made it worse). There were longer lines at the armor than the crown jewels but I liked the armor more.

They had a torture exhibit in the White tower which was interesting (if small) and naturally I liked the Bloody tower and Beauchamp towers, especially the latter with all the graffiti on the walls carved by the condemned. I have no idea how people got up and down those spiral stairs in a hurry and how small were their feet? I had to walk on tip toe.

outside the Tower of London


Gatehouse


White Tower (I think)





Scavenger’s Daughter (they’d bend you in half in this thing)


The rack


a raven who would NOT leave me alone


Young prince’s armor


Gilt Armor


horse armor


for eld and silvrethorn


The garderoom

And for those who don’t know what a garderoom is, is this a hint?



Saddle made of bone


wheel lock pistols because they’re cool

There was a Tudor house in the tower on the tower green, supposedly the last actual Tudor home (the rest lost in the London fire in 1666) the Queen's house that was used to house prisoners like Anne Bolen, Guy Fawkes and the founder of my home state, William Penn. I wish I could have gotten into the church Peter ad vincula, but it was locked off unless you were on tour with a Yeoman. Anne Bolen, Catherine Howard and Lady Jane Grey were buried inside.


the Tudor house (Queen’s house)


the obligatory palace guard picture

I also didn't know there was a zoo inside and that King James I had a polar bear on a lead so long it could swim in the Thames. I also didn't know the Thames once lapped up against the Tower and was later rerouted. The infamous Tower Ravens were around. One kept getting closer and closer to me in search of food no doubt and another pulled apart a trash bin looking for a snack.


ME!


Sir Walter Raliegh’s prison


Sample of Lady Jane Grey’s carving from the tower while she was imprisoned


engraving by a ‘sorcerer’


Tower Bridge complete with Olympic rings (wow, look at that sky. I think it might have rained that day….and rained and rained and rained)

I spent four hours there and had no time for Westminster (well I had to keep sitting down whenever the headache reared up and I did want to see everything, go up every tower, walk every wall I could). Made it home (with one minor scare when my oyster card didn't want to let me through the gates), rested up and later bobfish and Dr H took me to the Castle pub for dinner. After saying I wanted anything but ground beef, I get a burger with stilton but it was good. Tried Reverend James Bitters too, also good. The bartender wanted to know if the burger was a good as we get in America and yeah it pretty much was.

picspam

Previous post Next post
Up