Tuesday night’s sleep wasn’t as good as we hoped for.  We’re experiencing the “other” part of jet lag.  The first is just being worn out from the trip and trying to hit the ground running.  The other is that our bodies are struggling to adjust to getting up at what feels like 2:00am and going to bed at 5:00pm in the afternoon.  Still, the only way to beat it is to press on, and press on we did!

The only biggie on the agenda for the day is a visit to Tower of London.  The construction began there  before 1100 when William the Conqueror built a tower on the river Thames as a defense against invaders.  Now, it draws millions of visitors each year.

It’s famous for, I think, three things.

First, of course, is it’s history.  The Beefeaters lead tours and serve, in general, as congenial hosts.  These are all retired military men who take their jobs as historians and protectors of this place quite seriously.  Their tours are fun and informative.  When some ladies ignored the warnings to not take photos in one building, the gentleman stopped them and then made them erase the photos to his satisfaction before they could go on.
We enjoyed several floors of displays in the armory.  There’s armor worn by kings, weapons, and lots of other really neat things to see.

The second big deal is that the British Crown jewels are on display here.  I’ve never seen so much gold and diamonds and other precious stones in my life.  Of course, that’s one of the “no pictures” parts of the place.  In fact, to view the crown jewels, you stand on an escalator sort of deal that moves you along.  You can go back and ride as many times as you wish, but you can’t stop in front of any of the main displays.   However, there are other amazing things you can stand and see – almost beyond description.

The third reason the Tower of London is famous is because of the many prisoners who were held and tortured and executed there including a couple the wives of King Henry VIII.

In the face of how some were mistreated at the Tower I shouldn’t complain too much about how leg weary Jackie and I became during our hours there.  Up and down stairs, standing, walking – by mid-afternoon our legs were starting to call the shots!  It was time to head “home” for a break.  We found our way to the light rail and made our way back to nearby Canary Wharf.  Maybe by early evening we’ll have enough energy to go to a nearby restaurant for a nice supper!