The Dreaded Tower of London

The educational portion of the London trip began the first thing Monday morning. We were booked on THE MAGIC OF LONDON tour, which featured the opportunity to see the Crown Jewels with the first group of the day, escorted to the site by a Yeoman Warder. The magnificent jewels cannot be shown here as all photography is prohibited within the chamber. But I had to include our Yeoman Warder, who told us proudly that he had recently joined an exclusive club that I have belonged to for over six years now. He is a brand new grandfather.

But he taught me plenty. For example, the notorious Tower, dreadful to those of us familiar with works such as RICHARD III, was not simply a torture prison. In fact, this building was the major castle of the monarchy for nearly 500 years. Built by William the Conqueror around 1080, it is nearly one thousand years old. That was among the things I never knew. And the power of time, the power of age and continuity, truly struck me as I visited there.

Of course, it was also a location of terror and death. No interior torture chambers are available to view, but the Traitor's Gate is. We will see it in the next post.

A poem:

ONE MILLENNIUM

One thousand years is a long time for anyone, especially an American;
Next year we have plans to return to Washington and travel once again to
Mount Vernon, for instance, where George Washington live more than two
Centuries ago, a truth that inspires awe and respect to innocent specatators.
Today we visited the Tower of London, built by William the Conqueror,
Five centuries was the seat of royal power in London, built around 1080,
Nearly ten centuries ago, nearly five times the age of Mount Vernon.
Respect is still natural and still lives in our hearts for Washington, but
Perspective makes the age of this London monument truly awesome.