Londres 2

               Sunday was another early morning that began with our delicious breakfast in the hotel's restaurant. Again, we made Nutella sandwiches and then, we were off! We took the Tube to the Tower of London and were absolutely blown away by it. It is one of the most historic sites I've ever seen because it was built by William the Conqueror in 1066 and since then has served as a  palace, a prison, a execution site, and fortress among other things. We began our tour with one of the famous London "Beefeaters" who serves as a guide and officially, is a guard of the tower because it remains one of the Queen's Royal residences. He was hilarious, and told us the long and sometimes harrowing history of the Tower of London with a lot of enthusiam...plus he was wearing a great uniform, so I was very happy with the tour. Some of the highlights of the tour (which apparently you can watch on YouTube) were first, the tower were Lady Jane Grey, Anne Boleyn, and Elizabeth I (when her half-sister Mary was in power) were kept while being investigated (and in the cases of Jane and Anne, convicted) of treason. It was really interesting to learn about the different uses of the Tower throughout the years and the scandals that took place there (like the murder of the two princes by their uncle, King Richard III [allegedly]). We also saw the lawn, called Tower Green, on which Lady Jane Grey and Anne Boleyn were beheaded. It was bizarre to be standing right there where two famous women were killed, especially such historic figures.
       After the tour, we were able to walk about the grounds and see the different exhibits that were on display. Here comes my favorite part: we saw the CROWN JEWELS. I'm talking about the actual crowns and scepters that the Royal family wears, and even the Coronation crown! It weighs almost 5 lbs and it absolutely gorgeous, as were the other pieces. There were also solid gold tableware, but not just dinner plates, but an ENORMOUS wine mixer and other large items.  The jewels were so shiny and then we came to the biggest one of all--the First Star of Africa which is a whopping 530.2 carats. It was sensational. We couldn't take photos inside though, so I'd recommend looking at the gallery of photos: The Crown Jewels Gallery.
         After our sparkly adventure, we went into the armory of the Kings and saw the armor of the Kings since William the Conqueror. It was very cool to see the advancements in all the weaponry over the years and the torture devices. We saw the room where the two princes were allegedly murdered by their uncle in order to maintain his reign. After the Torture Tower, we sat on a bench overlooking the Tower Green and ate our lunches. Then, we left and walked to the Tower Bridge, which was very impressive! We took a ton of photos there and then left to go to the Dickens Exhibit at The Museum of London. It was interesting but as an English major, Claudine definitely enjoyed it more than I did.
         After the museum, we ran to St. Paul's for an organ recital. Oh, that's right, we entered into the Cathedral that Princess Di got married in and heard a concert from a world famous organist under one of the best acoustic ceilings. I know, it was incredible. The church is MASSIVE! Its decorations are beautiful and ornate with mosaics and gilding.  Then, when we came out of the church, we met our friend Ryan who is studying abroad in London! It wasn't a coincidence, we planned to meet but it was so awesome to see a familiar face! We walked to Picadilly Circus (the Times Square of London), but NY's Time's Square is still more impressive.  (sorry, London!) We then took the tube to the Oxford Station and then got on the bus to Angel Street Station ,which is near Ryan's dorm. We went to this really authentic pub that she loves called the Winchester and had a 2 for 1 Sunday Roast! There were 4 varieties, so we each chose the one we wanted and split the 4th one, although it was more of a tasting of the 4th one since the portions were huge. I had the lamb with was sliced with a dark gravy, and the roast came with beets, mang tout, Yorkshire pudding (aka popovers!) and vegetables like carrots, broccoli, snap peas and potatoes covered in a savory gravy. It was awesome and we also had hard cider with our meal--I had pear this time though, and I think I liked Claudine's apple one better.
        Then, came dessert. It was OUT. OF. THIS. WORLD. We all decided to split one banoffee pie because were all so full from dinner, and it was the right choice! It had a crispy, buttery crust and the most delicious creamy banana flavored filling. I can't wait to try to make it at home!
          After such a long day and a great dinner with a wonderful friend, we headed back to our hotel for the night and to prepare for the 3rd day of sightseeing!