A couple days ago it was actually sunny for an entire day. Would you believe it? So I took the opportunity to visit the Tower of London, which sits on the east side of central London along the Thames. The central portion of the castle - the White Tower - dates back to the Norman invasion of the 11th century, though parts of that were built on Roman walls that date back to the 1st century. So the place is old.
The Tower is generally a fascinating place, used at times as a royal palace, particularly in times of trouble or when visiting dignitaries came to town. I suppose, however, that it is most famous for its role as a dungeon of sorts. Guy Fawkes, of the Gunpowder Conspiracy, was held, tortured, and executed there. Anne Boleyn, one of Henry VIII's wives, was executed there as well. Actually, the whole place has a kind of gruesome history, of which I think the English are quite proud.
Also of note at the Tower are the crown jewels, which, of course, are rather fascinating pieces. I don't quite understand them all, though. The pieces include several crowns of different monarchs, a pair of scepters, the Sovereign's Orb, several swords (the Jeweled Sword of Offering, the Sword of State, the Sword of Spiritual Justice, the Sword of Temporal Justice, and the Sword of Mercy), and many other items among which is the Coronation Spoon. Yes, a spoon. I guess it had been used by the Archbishop of Canterbury to anoint the sovereign. Anyway, it's all very fabulous and particularly stunning considering that much of the crown jewels date back to the 17th century and earlier.
Oh yeah, and in the White Tower - the oldest part of the castle - is housed the old armory, which contains guns and swords and armor and such from long ago. It's all very interesting, actually, but I found one thing peculiar. Check out the picture here of Henry VIII's armor and see if you find anything unusual about his midsection. I guess I'll never quite understand royalty.
