"Listen to them... the children of the night... what music they make!" Dracula, Bram Stoker.

On Saturday morning, after the concert, we got up rather early, at around 9 : 30, which seldom happens when we are at home. We had breakfast in the Youth Hostel kitchen, where we had to wait for young French boys (that kind of boys who are rather self-conscious because they are French but barely even manage to prepare their breakfast -- probably because their mummy did that for them at home... anyway...) to be done with their own before they would let anyone else start on their breakfast....

 

After that, we got ready and headed to the tube station: our destination? London Tower .

 

 

 

We bought the tickets to get in... It was quite expensive. However, the girl at the cashier was very nice as she gave me the student discount whereas i had stupidly forgotten my student card back at home!

 

The weather wasn't too bad, cloudy but not really cold.

When we went through the gate we found out that a guide (a yeoman, who lives in the place!) had just started the tour, so we decided to follow the group, which was quite instructive, even though i would not be able to mention anything of what he said anymore: too many "Royal intrigues" and names...

However, i took a few pictures to share with those who have never have the opportunity to visit the tower, or London for that matter:

 

 

 

If you look carefully at the background, on the top left corner, you will see Tower Bridge, one of my favourite London monuments! I guess it's not the most famous view of it!

In the middle of the picture is the tower where prisonners were jailed and tortured.

 

 

 

The little paved square surrounded by lawn is "where the friends of kings and queens had the priviledge to be privately executed, if need be: beheaded with an axe". If you were the Majesty's enemy, on the other hand, you had to undergo a public execution, out of the tower, on a hill that has now become a tube station...

Many famous people died there... do not ask me to name them...

 

 

 

Here is the place... and just accross the lawn is a very pretty chapel.

 

 

 

 

As for this building, it is where yeomen live: i would have liked to see what the place looks like inside... Anyway, i know there are worse place to live in in London!

 

 

 

This building is were the crowns and jewels of the Queen are kept, behind enormously THICK security gates! The treasure is absolutely fabulous to see, but we were not allowed to take pictures of them. The most impressive to me was a huge diamond that would probably hold snugly in my hand!!

 

The visit went on with the central building which is a museum that holds all kinds of armours, weapons and a few torture devices...

 

 

 

Howie standing in front of ceremony swords: notice how huge they are... i don't recall if they mentionned how heavy they were, but one surely had to be strong to carry those around!!

 

We were impressed by the horse armour...

 

 

 

As for this, it was used in tournaments.

 

 

 

This was an gigantic accountancy book!

 

 

 

More swords...

 

 

 

Execution tools: we were told that one huge man was once sentenced to death and they had had to try and chop his head off NINE TIMES (if not a little more) before he finally died!

 

Doesn't that give you goose bumps?

 

 

There was a tiny armour too! It was believed to have belonged to one of the princes as a child, but scientists say that nobody would fit in it, as the leg and arms are far too skinny, even for a child. I really liked the dragon on the helmet!

 

 

Now, this is the cage where crows are fed, and probably kept in at night.... Legend has it that if the 6 crows left the tower, the British monarchy would fall. That's why their wings have undergone a little shortening: so that they will remain in the park. Hopefully, they won't get the bird flu!

 

 

 

 

From there i took a couple more pictures of Tower Bridge, the second one is my favourite!

 

 

 

 

When we came out of the Tower, we were quite hungry, so we went to eat and rest at subway. I had a tuna sandwich and a cookie. I felt better!

 

Then, on to the Intrepid Fox, my favourite London pub! I hadn't been there in a while, i'm always happy to go, even though the music was more punkish that day... I had a Smirnoff ice and Howie some Guiness on the tap! Give me vodka or vodka based drinks and i'm happy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then we headed towards Picadilly circus where i played around with the camera to catch different colour effects.

 

 

 

This is the Picadilly Circus Angel.

 

 

 

 

 

Then, we headed to Big ben: on our way i stopped by to take pictures of the National Gallery Museum.

This one, taken with the flash, is rather unexpected and funny...

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is Trafalgar Square... by night... try and find the lion!

 

 

 

Westminster Abbey:

 

 

 

And that famous part of the Parliament, mistakenly called Big Ben:

 

 

 

There, we entered the tube station to head back to the youth hostel... no night club that Saturday evening... i don't think Howie was in the mood for it... I will go.... some day...

I must say that i fell asleep very fast and enjoyed my sleep!

 

To be continued...