Day 3-Last Day in London

Today was our last day of running around London, but even running around didn't allow us to see everything.  Our first stop was the Tower of London, which as it turns out, is not actually a tower but a medieval fortress.  It was built over many years so it has overlapping architecture from different periods.  It kept prisoners in prisoners and kept out enemies and is very large, and today it is of course it is not much more than a tourist attraction. But it does have the crown jewels.  Seeing the crown jewels was cool but then again, they could have totally been fake crowns and I would never know.

London Tower

London Tower

Tower Bridge

We had lunch on a wharf by the Thames and our view of the other bank was obscured by a monstrous yacht.  We watched the billionaire get on his ridiculously oversized boat as we ate.

huge yacht--the waiter said it belonged to someone named Joe Lewis

the wharf

fish and chippies

After lunch we headed to the Globe Theater along the Thames.  Though the Globe was where Shakespeare worked and had his plays performed, we didn't know until after getting there that this theater is actually a replica that was opened in 1997.  It was still a good replica and the tour guide said that they made it as authentic as possible, with the only difficulties being incomplete information on how the Globe was originally, and of course 21st century safety concerns.  We also got to see a demonstration of how to wear Elizabethan costume.  A girl from a Japanese tour group was picked to be dressed and the Globe's costume people put her in a corset and huge skirt.  It took a long time because it was so detailed but it was pretty neat to actually see it.

inside of the Globe

I stole this off the internet but this is how they dressed the Japanese girl

outside view

Tonight for dinner we headed to Trafalgar Square for dinner and it was definitely the busiest area we've been to.  There were lots of people just hanging out and we found a restaurant nearby where mom got the Shepherd's Pie she's been wanting.

Trafalgar Square

Our last London experience this trip was going to Dennis Severs' house.  It is a house that is entirely decorated to look like the 19th and 18th centuries.  the first 3 floors belong to a wealthy family called the Jervises (they are made up) and the top floor belongs to a poor family.  You are just supposed to go around the house and think about what the family's life is like in this house.  The whole house has fresh food and dropped teacups because you are supposed to believe that they were just there, and that they ran and hid when they heard an intruder (you) in their house.  I liked it a lot.  I don't know if mom did--she said she didn't get it.  So you'll have to ask her about that.  There was not talking and the only light was candlelight which made it very hot, but each room was so detailed.  You almost expect that when you walk out you are going into old London.

We are going to bed son because we have to get up early in the morning to go to Paris!  Yay!  It's kinda sad to leave London.  I've gotten so used to people watching on the underground.  But I can't wait to take the train and see some of the country outside of the city.