Janna Meets Jane: Thursday, September 14 - The Crown Jewels, River Cruise, Bus Ride, and St. Paul's Cathedral

"In the mean while she was in the carriage." - Persuasion

Our carriages were a boat, a Hop-on Hop-off Bus, and Uber cars.

8:00am Breakfast at The Tower Hotel - Pretty nice, big buffet

8:40am We brought the cane seat and walking sticks. Walked 6 minutes to Tower of London to see the crown jewels.

Tower of London is behind the wall

We were amazed at how many London buildings have glass exteriors

Tower of London

William the Conqueror built a mighty stone tower at the centre of his London fortress in the 1070s. In the past, it has been home to a wide array of institutions including the Royal Mint, the Royal Armouries and even a zoo. As the most secure castle in the land, the Tower guarded royal possessions and even the royal family in times of war and rebellion. But for 500 years monarchs also used the Tower as a surprisingly luxurious palace. Throughout history, the Tower has also been a visible symbol of awe and fear. Kings and queens imprisoned their rivals and enemies within its walls. The stories of prisoners, rich and poor, still haunt the Tower.

The gates opened at 9:00, and there was a long line when we got there at 8:50. I was expecting one building, not several buildings within the Tower walls. It was all beautiful and old but had some unexpected hills and stairs. Mom took it slow and did great with all of it.

Just outside the entrance gate

Gate to the Tower of London

Mom with two friendly Beefeaters - London Tower Guards

Entrance to the Crown Jewels

"Look how still he's standing. He looks like he's dead. " - Janna

The ravens are considered guardians of the Tower of London.
Charles II is thought to have been the first to insist that the ravens
\of the Tower be protected after he was warned that the
crown and the Tower itself would fall if they left.

We couldn't take pictures of the Crown Jewels, but here are a couple from the internet:

Mom sat in the cane seat a couple of times to enjoy the large informative films projected on the walls.

Walked 5 Minutes along the wharf to Westminster Pier to ride City Sightseeing Cruises on the Thames to Westminster Pier

The River Thames, known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At 215 miles, it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom. People used to be able to skate on the river in Winter, and It provides 2/3rds of London's drinking water.

Our boat coming to get us

Off the boat, we ooh-ed and aah-ed over Big Ben's tower and clock. We had no idea the clock was so golden.

We caught the BigBus Red Line Hop-on Hop-off, which conveniently comes by every 10-20 minutes. We had an app to tell us exact times. After only the second stop, we were able to move upstairs to the open-air level, which was fun. We had glorious weather!

We rode for an hour and a half and were sure we were going to crash several times. Those London streets are craaaaazy.

I took this picture of another BigBus to show what we looked like

We watched these construction workers pass a
beam down to the next worker several times

Stopped at Trafalgar Square, found a public loo where they charged me 20p and where they let Mom in free because she was looking so senior citizen-y with her walking sticks. :)

The fountains at Trafalgar Square were cool, then we ate at Café in the Crypt (recommended by Carma). We didn't make a reservation and got in just fine.

Café in the Crypt - Cafeteria-style - Good selection of light bites, snacks and meals. Toilets are free. Tel: 020 7766 1158

Mom and I both tried potato and leek homity pie. We were hungry and it was good! We wrote some postcards instead of hurrying back to the bus.

Homity Pie

Creepy/cool ceiling at the Crypt

Elevator and stairs down to the Crypt

Mom's toe was hurting, so we took an Uber with our guy Yordi and drove to St. Paul's Cathedral

"Feed the birds... Tuppence a bag..." - Mary Poppins

St. Paul’s Cathedral
Evensong is a daily service of sung Evening Prayer, taken from the Book of Common Prayer of 1662. No ticket or reservation required.

Rebuilt by Christopher Wren after the great Fire of 1666, St. Paul's has been the site of many historic state occasions; including Sir Winston Churchill's state funeral and the Royal Wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer. A busy working Christian community with several daily services at which all are welcome. In the 19th century, St. Paul’s underwent some improvements after Queen Victoria lamented that St. Paul’s was “dreary, dingy, and indevotional.”

It was difficult, but we refrained from feeding the birds. We did, however, record ourselves singing the song...

We were early, so we shared a shake across the street at Five Guys Burgers and Fries. Exactly the same as the Five Guys in the USA.

St. Paul’s Cathedral

Salted caramel milkshake, oh ya

We entered the Cathedral at 4:15 and needed a bathroom. We were escorted to the basement toilet on a round elevator with a security guard -- Again, special treatment for Mom because she's a senior.

Evensong was an hour long worship service complete with a processional, choir, prayers, scripture readings, a magnificent organ, sacrament, and a very lovely sermon by a blind leader. It was all beautiful and some of it was new. Jetlag hit us hard during that service.