Old crows at the Tower wall
This morning it was off to one of the most famous—and
bloodiest-- towers in the world, the Tower of London. Actually a castle with 22 towers, some of this
structure was built while William the Conqueror was running the place in the 11th
century. It was a place you didn’t want to visit involuntarily for a time,
because its scaffold was being used to thrill crowds of thousands who came to
cheer the executions. Among the
unfortunates were a couple of wives of Henry VII, Anne Boleyn and Catherine
Howard. They were accused of adultery,
but both having failed to produce a male heir for the king, some had their
doubts about the veracity of the charges.
And don’t forget Lady Jane Grey, who at the tender age of 16 made the
mistake of trying to have herself crowned queen after Henry’s death. “Off with her head!” they cried on the
appointed day.
With one of the Tower guards
In a more pleasant section, the
Waterloo Barracks house the famous Crown Jewels, valued at up to $30
billion—yes, that’s a “b”—with lavishly decorated plates, swords, and the crown
of the late Queen Mother, set with the 105-carat Mountain of Light
diamond. There’s also the 530-carat
First Star of Africa diamond atop the State Scepter, and the 317-carat Second
Star of Africa diamond on the Imperial State Crown. And all the diamonds are surrounded by
various priceless emeralds, rubies, pearls, and sapphires. It’s quite a spectacle, and the crowds gather
early for a peek at this magnificent display of opulence. We arrived early enough to browse at leisure,
after which we tubed over to the St. Paul’s underground stop and walked over to
the Old Bailey, where all the criminal courts are in session. Except for the time period from 1 until 2,
when they close all the doors and break for lunch. Since our arrival at the doors was precisely
1:00:01, we weren’t allowed entry, so on this trip we won’t be privileged to
watch part of a trial.
Tower Bridge on the Thames River
We kept our 1:30 appointment with
the rest of our group, for lunch with Rita Spada, the head of World Trade
Center London, and her associate Simon, an international lawyer who is of
counsel to the center and also a big supporter.
Over lobster bisque and roast pork, we spoke of the attractiveness to
industry of Southeast Georgia in general and Camden County in particular. It was a 2-hour meeting, and we gained much
insight into Rita’s world, with much advice from both of them about targeting
specific industries and making effective presentations to prospects. They know where we are and what we can offer
in London, and we hope this will develop into an important relationship.
Lunch with World Trade Center London
We took a quick look at St. Paul’s
Cathedral, built atop London’s highest
hill, where the original church was built in 604 A.D. The current building, erected in the 17th
century as part of the general restoration following the 1666 Great Fire of
London, is a worship place of the Church of England. You may recall that the Church of England
became the country’s official religion when the Catholic Church refused to
sanction Henry VII’s second marriage, but the church had existed long before
Henry—and has lasted long after. The
magnificent building was the tallest in London until 1982, and visitors still
climb the 528 steps to the top of the cupola to get a great view of the city.
St.Paul's
After St. Paul’s, we crossed the
city to Westminster Abbey, where Jeanne Marie had discovered a way to see the
inside when tourists were shut out. We
attended an evensong service at this famous cathedral. It was a beautiful service; we were seated not
far from where the royal weddings take place and soaked up the history, the architecture,
and the beautiful music. Just being
there was an inspiration. Be sure and do
this when you visit London; it’s almost worth the trip by itself.
After drinks at the world famous
(and very posh) Connaught hotel, we taxied back to our neighborhood, where we
relaxed with pizza and burgers at a sidewalk pub until ‘way past bedtime. A couple of college girls walked by with big
fresh ice cream cones and someone stopped them and asked whether it was really
good ice cream. Shortly after the meal,
we walked around the corner to Scoop, a little ice cream shop with perhaps the
best flavors in London. A scoop of
raspberry cheesecake over a scoop of the bacio flavor was absolutely
divine. But the vegan chocolate we
cannot recommend.
It was getting on past eleven, and
if just reading about the events of this day doesn’t make your eyelids….grow….h-e-a-v-y
. . .
Charlie & Tricia
©2014
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