Tower Bridge, not London Bridge

Among the interesting things to learn in London is that the London Bridge, the one that replaced the old London Bridge now located in Lake Havasu City, Arizona, is NOT the bridge most people think. It is a bridge or two down from the Tower Bridge, seen here, which is also NOT named for the Towers you see rising from the Thames.

Rather, it is the bridge that leads directly to the Tower of London, on the north bank and just to the left of the bridge as depicted here. And none of the bridges in London appears to be in danger of falling down.

Another location of wonder on our trip, visited just before tea at Harrod's (loved the scones!) was St. Paul's Cathedral. The central dome as seen above is just one of many jaw-dropping vistas in this, known more as the People's Cathedral. It is not to be missed.

Next post is on toward Stratford.

The Traitor's Gate

The dreaded Traitor's Gate, as seen from both sides here, was the gate that brought the most famed prisoners to the place where they would generally be executed. Seen from the bridge side (outside), a boat would bring the prisoner under the bridge and into the shelter of the Tower directly from the Thames. Seen from the gate side (inside the Tower), the boats would be drawn up to these ominous gates and rowed to the inner edge, where they would climb a concrete staircase on the way to their imprisonment. It is the most ominous portion of a visit to the Tower on a bright sunny Monday morning.

Ominous due to the difference in the meaning of 'traitor' to an American as compared to a subject of the historical Kings (and Queens) of England. A traitor, to an American, is one who has conspired to overthrow the lawful government and is a felon deserving punishment. While the words would be the same in British history, when the government is the reigning monarch, the actual working definition of 'traitor' might be anyone who irritated the monarch. Considering the names our Yeoman Warder mentioned, anyone who crossed Henry VIII or Bloody Mary or Richard III would have been legally considered a traitor and would have been executed. A chilling bit of history.

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.