London, England - Part 1

London attracts more American visitors than any other city in Europe. When you are in London, you are in one of the world's most exciting cities. The American tourists are drawn by world-class museums, top shops, unparallel theater, and a pulsating nightlife. An air of excitement electrifies London. Cars, buses, taxis and people swirl through the streets with direction and purpose.

London, capital of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, seat of the royal family, Parliament and government, lies in a gently undulating basin enclosed by hills on both banks of the Thames River some 50 miles above its estuary into the North Sea. The "Greenwich Meridian", longitude 0°, runs through the London suburb of Greenwich. London is not only the financial and cultural center of Great Britain but also one of the most interesting cities in the world where people from all different countries have made their contribution to a cultural melting pot which finds expression in music, theater, dance, literature, and not least, gastronomy. The Thames, which follows a winding course through London, divides the city into a northern and southern part, with the main tourist sights lying on the northern bank. The City is the oldest part of London and only covers an area of about the original one square mile of the Roman settlement of Londinuium.

Getting around London is relatively easy using the London Underground or the Tube. The Tube reaches almost everywhere and like freeways, you start witha few main ones then branch out. By the second or third day, you will feel like a local. There is a pay-in-advance Oyster card that you can use to hop on and off the subway and buses that will save you some money than paying cash for each time.

The Majesty's Tower of London is situated in East London on the boundaries of the boroughs of Stepney and the City of London. Directly south, spanning the River Thames, lies the famous Tower Bridge. Take the Circle or District line on the Tube to Tower Hill station.

The Tower Bridge , named after its two impressive towers, is one of London's best known landmarks and possibly the most celebrated and photographed bridge in the world. This Victorian Bridge was designed by Wolfe Barry and Horace Jones and completed in 1894. The middle of the bridge can be raised to permit large vessels to pass the Tower Bridge. It used to be raised about 50 times a day, but nowadays it is only raised 4 to 5 times a week. The twin towers are made of steel clad in stone and inside, there are interactive exhibits tracing its history and construction in the north tower and the old (pre-1976) hydraulics that were used to raise and lower the bridge in the south tower.

Nearby, the Tower of London is the most important building in England and the most visited of London's attractions. The most perfectly preserved medieval fortress in Britain reverberate with dark secrets and holds some of the most remarkable stories from across the centuries. Despite a grim reputation as a place of torture and death, it was a stronghold which was many times besieged but never taken; it was a royal palace (until the time of James I), a prison (still used during the last war, when one of its inmates was Rudolf Hess), a mint (until the opening of the Royal Mint nearby in 1810), a treasure vault (still containing the Crown Jewels), an observatory (until the establishment of Greenwich Observatory in 1675) and for five centuries (until 1834) a menagerie before becoming a national monument.

Gaze up at the oldest part and the massive White Tower, built in 1078 by the Norman king, William the Conqueror, to protect London and discourage rebellion among his Saxon subjects. Every king after him added to the main structure that finally enclosed an 18-acre square by the late 13th century. Walk around the top of them for a bird's eye view of how the Tower of London would have looked in its heyday.

The Yeoman warders or "Beefeaters", have guarded the Tower for centuries. The famous Yeoman Warders tour is the most popular for visitors and is included in your Tower of London admission ticket. The ‘Beefeaters’, as they are nicknamed, have long been symbols of London and Britain. It is thought their nickname is derived from their position in the Royal Bodyguard, which permitted them to eat as much beef as they wanted from the king's table. The Beefeaters will entertain you with bloody tales of intrigue, imprisonment, execution, torture and more. The Tower held many famous prisoners from the highest levels of society and some in astonishing comfort and others less so.

The History of The Tower of London

The Jewel House in Waterloo Barracks is a must-see where the treasured Crown Jewels have been kept since 1968. Most of the very valuable Crown Jewels date from after 1660, since the older regalia were sold or melted down during the Commonwealth. Particularly notable items in this unique collection are: Edward's Crown, of pure gold, made for the coronation of Charles II and still used in the crowning of British sovereigns; the Imperial State Crown, set with over 2,800 diamonds and other precious stones, including a huge ruby and worn by Henry V at the Battle of Agincourt; one of the two "Stars of Africa" cut from the Cullinan Diamond, the largest ever found; the Imperial Indian Crown (made in 1911), set with almost 6000 precious stones; Queen Elizabeth's Crown, with the famous 106-carat Koh-i-Noor diamond; and the Royal Sceptre, with the second "Star of Africa", the largest cut diamond in the world (530 carats). A moving walkwayis meant to keep visitors flowing through, but it can still be a long wait.

The Chapel Royal of St. Peter and Vincula contains the graves of all the unfortunates executed at the Tower. The Scaffold Site is where the axeman dispatched seven of the highest-ranking victims, including Henry VIII's wives, Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard. Everyone else met their end on Tower Green. Every night for 700 years, the guards have secured the Tower of London with the ritual Ceremony of the Keys.

A leisurely and more relaxing way to see London is on a Thames River tour. Cruise on the majestic River Thames and pass some of the historic landmarks of London: Lambeth Palace, Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, London Eye, Tate Morden, St. Pauls Cathedral, Globe Theater, London Bridge, HMS Belfast, Tower of London and Tower Bridge to name just a few. They usually pick up and drop off at the central London piers. All sightseeing cruises are usually with a full commentary. Check out http://www.citycruises.com/ for more information on their passenger operating tours. On chilly days, be sure to grab an inside seat as the city's chill seeps up through the hull.