We had one more full day to be tourists, and for this day the highlight was the Tower of London. I had done this tour on my previous trip in 2016 but I couldn't wait to share it with the guys. They loved it as much as I hoped and we ended up spending 4 hours there. That meant a few other "optional" stops that were free admission with our London Pass were axed but it was worth it to really enjoy the Tower.
My original plan was to take the Underground there and then walk back via all of the stops we were going to make along the way. Turns out it was cheaper, faster and easier to take Uber there than pay for three fares plus Oyster cards for the Tube - not to mention the timetable and navigating stops. So, I've now been to London twice and never stepped foot into an Underground station. I'm actually a little disappointed since I love the DC Metro and the NYC Subway, and have ridden both with William. Oh well....maybe next time!
The iconic Tower of London sits along the Thames River and is an absolute "Must Do" in London. But you shouldn't just walk in and self-guide. You MUST join up with one of the Yeoman Warder (i.e. Beefeater) free tours. Just an amazing amount of history and personality! Our guide was Bob and he was amazing about getting the kid up front to see him and get engaged in the story telling at each of the stops as we moved through the grounds.
We saw a changing of the guards in front of the Crown Jewels building. (Good thing, since we never made it over to Buckingham Palace for a formal look - just a quick drive past in the airport taxi.) The other highlight was definitely the ravens. I remember hearing about the ravens on my first tour, but didn't otherwise pay them much mind. But on this day, one of the pairs (there are three) were among the people in the courtyard and people were getting really close. It was quite the sight!
There was a troupe that did a little roleplay in front of White Hall. And William enjoyed both souvenir shops! I got a Christmas ornament (my usual!) and he picked out a raven.
We had a late lunch reservation across the river at a Jamie Oliver restaurant that I had eaten at on my last trip. So we crossed Tower Bridge and started working our way along the South Bank. When I was there last time, I stayed in the hotel where the restaurant was located, so the walk across Tower Bridge was done multiple times per day as part of our sight seeing adventures. Lunch was tasty and re-energized us for our next stop: the HMS Belfast which is anchored in the Thames across from the Tower and with a great view of the bridge.
It was overcast and drizzled throughout the day (true London weather?), so after the Tower, lunch and the Belfast, we retired to our hotel via another Uber. We enjoyed a swim in the hotel pool and then ordered room service again to enjoy while we packed for part two of our trip.
My original plan was to take the Underground there and then walk back via all of the stops we were going to make along the way. Turns out it was cheaper, faster and easier to take Uber there than pay for three fares plus Oyster cards for the Tube - not to mention the timetable and navigating stops. So, I've now been to London twice and never stepped foot into an Underground station. I'm actually a little disappointed since I love the DC Metro and the NYC Subway, and have ridden both with William. Oh well....maybe next time!
The iconic Tower of London sits along the Thames River and is an absolute "Must Do" in London. But you shouldn't just walk in and self-guide. You MUST join up with one of the Yeoman Warder (i.e. Beefeater) free tours. Just an amazing amount of history and personality! Our guide was Bob and he was amazing about getting the kid up front to see him and get engaged in the story telling at each of the stops as we moved through the grounds.
