Today we went to the British Library to view the exhibit, "Writing Britain: Wastelands to Wonderlands." It featured over 150 literary works and demonstrated how Britain's physical landscape influenced English literature from past to present. We saw the manuscript of The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer (written at the end of the 14th century!), Lewis Carroll's first handwritten version of Alice In Wonderland (originally called Alice's Adventures Under Ground), J.K. Rowling's manuscript of Harry Potter, letters written by Charlotte Bronte and William Wordsworth, and much more. (For the complete list, click here: Literary Works). 

The British Library

We then went to King's Cross Station to catch the Hogwarts Express. Ok, ok we went to catch the tube. But all of you Harry Potter fans know that King's Cross Station is where students go to board the train to Hogwarts at Platform 9 3/4.

Headed to Hogwarts, no big deal

Next, we visited the Tower of London, which was less of a tower and more of a castle than I had originally envisioned. It was both a beautiful and imposing structure that I learned is less commonly called "Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress," which better aligns with its appearance. The more common name, the Tower of London, is derived from the White Tower, one of the central towers within the structure.

The White Tower, circa 1080

The Tower of London

The Tower of London was originally encompassed by a moat, which was eventually replaced with grass when the stench of the water became unbearable.

The grassy area was formerly a moat

Once inside the fortress we went to view the Crown Jewels, which have been stored in the Tower of London since 1303 and are still used for various royal ceremonies. In fact, one of the rings was missing and was replaced with an "In Use" sign - most likely for the Queen's upcoming Diamond Jubilee. We saw the Anointing Spoon (from the 12th century - the oldest piece of regalia still used in the Coronation Ceremony), the Sovereign's Orb and Scepter, the Imperial State Crown, the Koh-i-Noor diamond, large gold dishes, several swords, and much more (see Crown Jewels). 

The Crown Jewels are protected by armed guards, who stand outside the tower in which the jewels are housed.  I really cannot fathom how the guards stand there all day with ramrod-straight posture. Clearly, they were not former swimmers (swimmers have notoriously bad posture). I'd be slumped over after about ten minutes. That would be a quick job interview. Interviewer: "Can you stand up straight?" Me: "Nope."

The Crown Jewels are housed in here

Guarding the Crown Jewels

Next, we entered the "Fit for a King" exhibit, which displays arms and armor that English kings used and wore. We saw armor worn by King Henry VIII and his son King Edward VI, King Charles I, King James I, and many others. The picture below depicts the armor of King Henry VIII. Look closely and you will see "HK" in gold letters along the bottom of his armor. This stood for Henry and Katharine of Aragon, his first wife. I wonder if he needed to continuously have new armor created with the initials of his second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth wives.

Last, we entered The Bloody Tower, an eerie place where people were imprisoned and sometimes tortured and killed. 

King Henry VIII's armor

Right near the Tower of London is the Tower Bridge, a brightly-colored, ornate bridge suspended over The River Thames. I could not get over how beautiful it was!

The Tower Bridge

Overall, it was another great day in London. Oh, and I finally ate one of London's staple meals: fish and chips. Delicious.