Day #46: Final Day in London

My final full day in London and in Europe started with the famous Tower of London. I started off with a tour by one of the Tower's beefeaters. Hilarious and informative, the Beefeater (or Yeoman Warder) was all you could expect and definitely lived up to expectations. I learned a few things about the Beefeaters. First, the Beefeaters live within the walls of the Tower of London. Second, every Beefeater was a Sergeant Major and served in Her Majesty's forces for at least 22 years.

After the hour or so long tour, I walked around the wall of the Tower complex and visited several different towers, including the famous Bloody Tower. I also visited the crown jewels, which were by far the most impressive I had seen in Europe. Especially impressive was the sceptre with the Cross. It is impressive because it contains the Cullinan I diamond or the Great Star of Africa, which weighs over 530 carats. The Cullinan I is one of several diamonds cut from the larger Cullinan diamond, the largest diamond ever found, weighing in at over 3000 carats.

After seeing the Crown Jewels, I went on a tour of the White Tower, the original part of the Tower of London that was built by William the Conqueror. The highlight here was the Norman chapel, frequented by William.

After spending several hours at the Tower, I hurried over to St. Paul's Cathedral. And no, to answer any questions, there was no woman out front selling bird seed. I actually liked St. Paul's better than Westminster Abbey. It was less cluttered and more beautiful. The Dome was the highlight. Buried in the crypt below were Admiral Nelson and the Duke of Wellington, the British heroes of the Napoleonic Wars. The best part of the visit was the trek up to the top of St. Paul's. The stairs are in several phases, each more narrow than the next. The first bit takes you up into the dome still inside the church. Here, you can whisper on one side and hear it on the other side. The ushers used this feature to great effect in reprimanding guests all over the dome who were violating the church rules when they didn't think an usher was near them! The next portion took you up to the base of the dome on the outside. At one point, you could look down at the exact center of the dome and they had cutaway part of the floor and you could see the bottom of the cathedral. The final part of the trek was up a spiral staircase to the top of the cathedral, with breathtaking views.

It was at the top of the cathedral that I displayed some travel savvy I had acquired. One of the main problems of traveling alone is that there is no one to take pictures of you in scenic spots. And trying to take pictures of yourself with your arm extended is hit or miss. So, what I looked for was (1) other people by themselves attempting to do the arm extension thing or (2) couples trying to take pictures of themselves together. Once the target was acquired, I would offer to take their picture. Once the picture was done and they were satisfied with the picture, I extended my camera and asked for reciprocity. Works like a charm.

My last bit of London was a quick look into Tate Modern for their one Monet and then onto a pub for a dinner of fish and chips. Then, it was off to dodge raindrops to get back to my hostel to pack for my flight the next morning!