Dear Family,
I couldn’t very well leave London without a few last shots of what London is famous for. This morning I got up at 7:00 and ran out the door, caught the Tube to the London Tower, and meandered my way back to my hostel along the River Thames. To date, I hadn’t gone east of St. Paul’s so this morning I just had to. Hopefully you’ll enjoy seeing what I have to show you.
I find it hard to believe but the Romans at their peak controlled territories even as far north as England. This was was originally built in 200AD by the Romans and for 1500 years the City of London was small enough to be contained in it’s walls. Again, hard to believe since it’s now one of the biggest cities in the world! Most of the wall is gone but there are a few chunks left standing and this is one of the best.
No, this is not the London Bridge though everyone assumes it must be. This is the Tower Bridge as it lands on the north just to the side of the Tower of London. You can enter it (for a large fee), see the exhibits, and walk the corridors between the two towers. At 7:30 nothing was open. 🙂
Just another view, from the north, next to the Tower of London.
The Tower of London was many things over many years. First and foremost it was a royal residence but that ended in the 1600s. It then was variously barracks, warehouses, government administration buildings, and mostly now a tourist attraction. It’s supposed to be the best preserved of all the castles in Europe. What I particularly like are the two turrets you see on the upper left. They were built in 1080!
There are many views of the Tower of London and none particularly all-encompassing. I think I’d need a helicopter to do the place justice. Regardless, the piece above is called Traitor’s Gate. Originally it was the king’s boat’s private entrance off the River Thames. The docks of London much later blocked its access to the river but it retains its character.
OK, just so you have proof positive … this is the London Bridge.
And this is the London Bridge spanning the Thames. The one we all think about was actually purchased, disassembled, and reconstructed as a tourist attraction … in Nevada!!!
This is a cool pedestrian bridge called the Millennium Bridge. I enjoyed catching the photo shoot up top while giving you a sense of the expanse of it as it goes over the river. The River Thames is remarkably clean. I looked many times to try and find trash or oil or other garbage. Nothing. Apparently in the 1970s it was a dead river from having been so terribly polluted over the years. Active efforts have brought it back to full life.
Here you seen the Millennium Bridge as it spans the River Thames.
I hope you enjoyed this little site seeing tour, I enjoyed doing it for you.
See you in a few hours! Love, Dad