Tower of London and Bicycle Mayhem

Well, Blogger keeps crashing so these posts are going to be little nuggets of each part of the day instead of long rambling multi-day epics. 

On our first full day in London, we woke up early to conquer the Tower of London, only to find most roads in the city were closed because of a city-wide bike race. While a taxi did magically come by while we were wandering around looking for one, the rest of the day wasn't quite so lucky. The cab driver was a real character though--charming, voluble, and happy to point out everything from his favorite fish and chips place to the area where Jack the Ripper stalked his victims. His charm ebbed for me when he professed his love of Trump, for "not being a politician." That's right, he's a sociopath and a racist and a misogynist and a racist...the perfect candidate! 

We reached the Tower of London only a bit late, though, and it's actually a castle and fortress complex dating back to the 11th century. It's also the infamous site of Anne Boleyn's beheading and where the two young princes disappeared without a trace...you really feel the weight and flow of history with each step you take. 


We walked some of the battlements and also checked out the Crown Jewels (no pictures allowed), which was really smartly displayed...you glide by the crowns on a little conveyor belt, so everyone gets a good view with no crowding. 


My favorite part was seeing King Henry VII's armor (he was shockingly small), and Elowen was partial to the dragon and the ravens. There are six resident ravens at the Tower, and legend has it the Tower would fall should they ever leave. 



Also the moat has been turned into a walking path surrounded by a riot of gorgeous wildflowers, so we also took our time enjoying that. 


By the time we left the Tower, the crowd in some areas were shoulder-to-shoulder...we had to elbow through. Of course, there were no taxis to be had given the rivers of bicycles flowing by, so we took a long walk to Spitalfields Market. 

People have been trading on that site since 1666, from Hugueknot and then Irish weavers to Jewish refugees to today's variety of artisans. I got a chance to visit one of my favorite vintage-style stores (Collectif) and also browse quirky T-shirts, vintage hats, and gorgeous full handmade skirts (a bright pink tribal print one came home with me, after the designer helped me shimmy into it over my clothes. Thanks Johann!).

Elowen and her new BFF Rory

We ate lunch at a little place called The Grocer, both because it was there and because it had big soft couches for the girls. The burger was surprisingly good, and fortified my very tired bones for the next event--a ride on the London Eye.


Comments

  1. JackieMay 31, 2023 at 7:40 AM

    I always love your pictures. The one of Elowen looking up at her friend warmed my heart. She's so sweet. And omg, Collectif!! I bet it was exciting to shop in there too!

    ReplyDelete
  2. EricaJune 4, 2023 at 1:46 PM

    Thank you friend!! Omg you'd have LOVED Collectif, they had so much!

    ReplyDelete

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