Not happily but I'm back! I had an absolutely wonderful time. England is totally amazing, we saw the Tower of London, the British Library, Westminster Abbey, St. Paul's Cathedral and much more. Sitting here trying to write about it I find myself at a loss for words. Much of what we saw was so absolutely awe-inspiring that I just don't know how to describe it. However, since I know you are all anxiously awaiting a report I'll give it a shot.
The first place we went was the Tower of London. The oldest part of it is the White Tower which was built by William the Conquerer in 1078. It is amazing to touch the walls and think how long they've been standing. It was also amazing to climb the NUMEROUS steps to the top but that is another story! The Tower has been, over the years, a royal residence, armoury, public records office, prison, fortress and zoo.
Tower Green is a grassy area inside the tower where only 7 people were executed. Yes, a lot more were executed in England over the years but it was done outside the tower on Tower Hill. One of the 7 executed on Tower Green was Anne Boleyn, the 2nd wife of Henry VIII. Anne's biggest failing was not providing Henry with the son he desired. Instead she gave birth to a useless girl. The useless girl turned out to Elizabeth I, the greatest queen England has ever had (not that I'm biased).
We went into the chapel where Anne is buried and stood at Traitors Gate. Traitors Gate was where passengers would disembark to make the climb up the stairs into the tower where they would be held prisoner and
more often than not, end up losing their head. Elizabeth herself came through Traitors Gate and was held prisoner in the Tower for a number of months by her sister Mary. Supposedly as she came through the gate she sank to her knees and refused to move. I'm sure she imagined that she would never leave alive. But leave she did and went on to rule England for 45 years. When she died she was interred in Westminster Abbey, the topic of tomorrow's post!
more often than not, end up losing their head. Elizabeth herself came through Traitors Gate and was held prisoner in the Tower for a number of months by her sister Mary. Supposedly as she came through the gate she sank to her knees and refused to move. I'm sure she imagined that she would never leave alive. But leave she did and went on to rule England for 45 years. When she died she was interred in Westminster Abbey, the topic of tomorrow's post!
1 comment:
I should point out to our less Anglo-savvy readers that the Tower has an even more ancient pre-Norman history and is where they buried Bran's head, which is why the ravens are there to protect England - it's connected to the buried head. I was very impressed that Mom acted on her life-long dream to go the British Isles. It's made me think about finally going to Mt. Diablo - probably a good 40 minutes from my home by car - now that will be a trek.
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