England Trip
Day 3 June 20, 2002
By Dan, Mary Jane and Scotty Hyde
Thursday June 20 - London
Dan's narrative: `"We get up early and take the Tube at South Ealing
Station into London. We spend most of the day at the Tower of
London." With the help of several friendly Britons, we conquer The
Tube, getting on the train we want, headed in the direction we want to
go. It helps to stand together in our little group-of-four on the
subway platform near the subway map, looking slightly bewildered and
dejected.
White Tower of Tower of London
The oldest part of Tower of London. Built by William, the Conqueror, in
about 1070 AD.
The Tower of London is first on Scotty's list of places to visit in
London, and his "favorite place visited" for June 20. We join a
tour led by one of the Yeoman Warders ("Beefeaters"). As do most
British, he makes a couple jokes about Americans. ("What word does a
British dictionary have that is not in an American one?" Answer:
"History.") We Americans take the jokes in stride.
A Gate in Tower of London
Model of Tower of London. The White Tower is in White.
The area is huge and you need at least a day to see most of it.
There is SO much to see at the Tower. This is one of the structures
in London that everyone wants to visit, because everyone wants to see
the Crown Jewels. Because we get there early, we do not have to wait
in a line to see the Crown Jewels in the Crown Jewel Wing.
Building that Houses the Crown Jewels
Usually, there are long lines to see the Crown Jewels.
Luckily, we
went very early and did not have to wait very long.
"Loo of the Year Award." This is something new to us. When Jan and
I go to the women's restroom ("loo" is the British word for
restroom) in the Crown Jewel Wing, we are intrigued by signs by the
sinks proclaiming this "loo" as the "1995 Award Winner" of the
"Loo of the Year Awards." After returning to Champaign, Jan does
some research on the Internet about this award. Many things, like
cleanliness of the sinks, are considered for this award. In our
opinion, the overall cleanliness, the new looking tiling and sinks,
the attractive decor ranks this loo really high among all the loos we visited in
England.
Armor on Horse and Knight in the White Tower
Scott Shot Pictures of the Changing of the Guard
One of Many Yards in the Tower of London
An Actress and Actor Dressed in Period Dress (Elizabethan) at the Tower of London
Scott at Gift Shop in Tower of London
Page maintained by Dan Hyde, hyde at bucknell.edu Last update
July 13, 2002
Copyright © 2002
Daniel C. Hyde
