When East Meet West . Vol 5: London Day 2

My second day in London kick-started with breakfast prepared by The Duck. Hehe. We were gonna have a full day ahead of us!

Boh Teh Tarik Kurang Manis. The Duck fell for it after tasted this at her friend's house. We searched high and low for it. Haha

Prawn Noodles. Cooked with instant prawn noodles paste. Lol

The first place I visited in London was the Tower of London. To avoid the crowd, we went there way before the counters were opened. Different counter was assigned for buying tickets and collecting pre-booked tickets. Extra charges for the audio guides. The guy at the counter mistaken us for Koreans. *giggles

Entrance ticket to Tower of London

The Tower of London is made up of a total of 22 towers. They are

1. Beauchamp Tower

2. Bell Tower (Elizabeth I was confined there during the reign of her half-sister Mary I)

3. Bloody Tower (2 princes of Edward IV were supposed to have been done to death on the orders of their wicked uncle)

4. Bowyer Tower (Duke of Clarence drowned in abutt of Malmsey Wine)

5. Brick Tower

6. Broad Arrow Tower

7. Byward Tower

8. Constable Tower

9. Cradle Tower

10. Develin Tower

11. Devereux Tower

12. Flint Tower

13. Lanthorn Tower

14. Lion Tower (site of the present ticket office, it was where the Royal Menagerie once housed)

15. Martin Tower

16. Middle Tower (present main entrance for visitors to the Tower, it was once in between Byward Tower and Lion Tower)

17. St Thomas's Tower (above the Traitors' Gate)

18. Salt Tower

19. Wakefield Tower

20. Wardrobe Tower (partially demolished, it the Middle Ages it kept the king's clothing, armour and equipment)

21. Well Tower

22. White Tower (oldest tower built by William the Conqueror)

There are daily programmes such as the Yeoman Warder guided tour, White Tower tour, knight school and special events. If you want to follow them, you'll have to take note of the particular time listed on the brochures given at the entrance.

We started at Byward Tower with its ceiling of craved lion heads

Water Lane. Behind me was Byward Tower

Traitors' Gate. This was where prisoners where brought to the tower during the olden times

Scaffold used formerly for public execution of prisoners

The Normans and before

White Tower

A whole set of armour

Overview of the Tower of London

A special armour

Armour for the whole family, including the one for Edward VI who was not more than 13

Winding staircase

Ah Bui the heartthrob

The Crown Jewels

Inside the Jewel House (no photographing allowed) we were shown the astonishing collection of priceless Coronation Regalia which has been exhibited to the public since the 17th century.

Jewel House

Imprisonment and Executions

Beauchamp Tower, scaffold site (where the execution was held, among the prisoners were Lady Jane Grey and Anne Boleyn) and Chapel Royal of St Peter ad Vincula (where those who were beheaded were buried)

The huge ravens. According to legend, King Charles II was told that the kingdom and fortress would fall if the ravens left the tower

The Queen's House. Anne Boleyn, 2nd wife of King Henry VIII and mother of Queen Elizabeth I, lived there as a prisoner for 18 days before her execution

There were the Prisoners' exhibition in the Beauchamp Tower and the extraordinary prisoner graffiti. In the infamous Bloody Tower we read about the 2 little princes of Edward IV and decide who was the murderer and see the instruments of torture in Wakefield Tower.

The Medieval Palace

The tower has been a luxurious royal home. Here we discovered the rich colours and comfortable furnishings, including a replica of Edward I's bedroom, and enjoyed the sounds and aromas of life in a medieval royal household.

By the time we done touring the Tower of London, it was noon. We proceeded on in search of a nice place for lunch as well as indulging in the beautiful sight of London.

Tower Bridge

The middle of the bridge would draw up when huge ships sail by

River Thames

Tower of London from Tower Bridge

HMS Belfast

Since I had never tasted bagel, we set for Bagel Factory. Simple yet satisfying. Hehe

The various bagels and fillings

We had pomegranate iced tea, BBQ Chicken (chicken breast, cheddar cheese, tomato and BBQ sauce) and Santa Fe Melt (tuna, chilli dressing, red onions, pepper and mozzarella)

After our satisfying lunch, we continued on our city sightseeing with The Duck as the guide. It was pure bliss to just walk by leisurely and enjoyed the view we passed by.

Not so majestically standing over the River Thames behind me, was the London Bridge

London Bridge is falling down, falling down, falling down

London Bridge is falling down, my fair lady~

Millennium Bridge

Monumen

St Paul Cathedral

We had a breakie at Starbucks Cafe before heading home to rest our tired legs and prepared ourselves for the musical night. ^^

The various cupcakes, cookies and brownies

Ah Bui taking a sip

After regenerated ourselves, its time for the Wicked! Musicals are quite common in UK and I certainly enjoyed myself a lot despite the sleepy bug which visited once a while in between. Lol. Remember to always booked your tickets beforehand to avoid disappointment (they might be fully booked) and to secure a better seat.

In front of the theater

Look at the crowd!

Inside the theater before the people filled in

The following day was our Sister's Trip to Amsterdam!!