I woke up at 7ish, and spontaneously decided to change my itinerary, booking some timed events for Day 4 and doing most of the things I previously planned. First, I walked over to the Tower of London since it was the first destination to open. Expecting a huge line, I was there about 15 before opening, making me fifth. The line soon began to build up, but once 9:00 struck, the staff efficiently moved it along. Within the walls of the ancient fortress, which arguably was founded by the Romans, you can explore the history of the castle and its interior buildings. First I saw what I saw as the centerpiece- the White Tower. Standing right in the middle, it dominates the landscape. Inside it was a museum with armor and various weapons. The building had, among its other roles, been the government armory for many years, so it had quite the collection of various pieces. Next, I noticed that there was practically no line for the hall containing the crown jewels. In general, I don’t have too much interest in royalty, curiosity got the best of me and I went to check it out. It’s richer than the Lichtenstein treasury, that’s for sure. Gold, diamonds, and other gems adorned everything. If there isn’t too long of a line, it’s interesting enough to warrant a look, but I wouldn’t wait for too long. I did learn that the coronation crown and the ‘other special event’ crown were different ones. Also, the room that houses the jewels is protected by a bank-vault like door, at least 20 cm thick, with bars that slide out to lock it in place. I was impressed enough that I wanted a photo of the door, but photography was banned there.
Next, I ran into a “Beefeater” as the local guards are colloquially known and joined his tour. Aside from learning a great deal about all the famous executions that took place there, I also learned that there was a small church containing many of the bodies, called Chapel Royal of St. Peter ad Vincula. Of course, that was my next destination. It’s really small and unassuming, but pleasant. The Tower of London’s battlements are far from the most impressive I’ve been on, but they afford a great view of the famous Tower Bridge. Also, there is a section about the wild animals that were gifted to the royals, and it had some absurd tales, such as the ostrich that was fed iron nails (and died because of that) or the pipe-smoking baboon. Several towers were dedicated to the history of imprisonment and torture there. Interestingly, the last execution was rather recent- a German spy during the second world war. Lastly, the English mint was in the Tower of London for a while, so they had a building about the mint’s history.
Tower Bridge is just around the corner, so that was the next destination. In addition to the great view, it also has some of the bridge’s history. The ticket includes access to the tops of the towers and to the old steam engines that used to power it.
Now comes the time when I, as always, praise European public transportation. Coming to London, I knew about the Underground and their bus system, but to my surprise, there is a river taxi called UberBoat. Oyster cards and the Uber app both work apparently, but I used the Oyster card. With it, the access works the same way as the subway - tap before boarding and after coming ashore, with the charge depending on the number of zones traveled.
The goal of my boat trip was Greenwich. There, I immediately set off to the Royal Observatory. First - the Flamsteed House which housed the royal astronomers (like Halley). The museum includes both a description of the household life and a room talking about the history of timekeeping (vital for astronomy). Also, the Meridian Observatory is a must-see. Apparently three of the seven major astronomers there set their own meridians, with the locations of each marked on the walls. The prime meridian is labeled in the street outside.
Leaving the observatory, I started to head to the Cutty Sark, a replica sail-powered cargo ship. However, I hadn’t realized the difference between the closing time and the last accepted group time, and thus was a little bit too late. Instead, I ended up stopping by the National Maritime Museum and The Queen's House for short visits.
The UberBoat brought me back to the London Bridge where I found the London Bridge Experience. This was a living history of the bridge, which turned out to have had a great deal of death in its past. And I learned that it’s on the fourth version. The second half of the program is a haunted-house-like thing, which is far less interesting in my opinion.
Afterwards, it was almost 19:00, so I decided to cross London Bridge and went north to wander. Now, much of the museum access I have described so far was purchased using a London Pass, which seems like a worthwhile purchase in this case. Among the other passes, it had one free drink at The Chocolate Cocktail Club and Cafe. As the name implies, it is a Chocolate Cocktail. I’m not one for mixed drinks and this was too sweet for my taste. But it was included and I'm always interested in trying something new. No worries though, since I did end up trying a traditional English beverage after dinner - a Gin and Tonic. I preferred it to the cocktail, but would still sooner take a beer or whisky in the future.
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