Tower of London: Crown Jewels/Bloody Tower

While I was visiting and touring London, I went to the Tower of London. It is pretty much a giant castle, with a moat surrounding it (minus water), that houses everything from the Crown Jewels to mysteries of the two disappearing boys to the tools they used to torcher and kill people.

 

So we'll start on a happy topic: the Crown Jewels. I sadly don't have any pictures of these gorgeous jewelry because you aren't allowed to take pictures while in that specific area. But in all honesty, pictures wouldn't do justice anyways. They have jeweled swords, jewelry and the famous crowns. They also feature the bowls, silverware, and any other utensils used during royal ceremonies. I personally loved that each item had a plaque that told you what each item was and what its significance is. These items mean so much to the royal families and their British culture that it's astonishing. 

 

Once outside that precious area, you could take pictures. Of course, still being in the jewels mindset, I found a case that held jeweled weapons! To the right, was one weapon that they had there. Now the quality of the picture isn't the greatest, but you can see that each little glistening sparkle in the photo is a jewel! How breath-taking.     

The next section, in a weird and disturbing way, was my favorite. Mystery and crime spark an interest to me and the 'Bloody Tower' satisfied that. Two princes, Edward V and Richard, were supposedly murdered here by the Duke, but no one ever could prove that because their bodies went missing! Until about 200 years later, they found bones of two young boys buried in the tower and were later discovered to be the princes'. 

 



Not the most professional/attractive photo, but this was my roommates and I before entering the Bloody Tower. Once through the tower, we continued to another room where they had all the torcher props. Quite sickening to think what they did to other human beings back then. Without going into too much detail and making you sick to your stomach, just think of this: being crushed, pulled apart or dangled to death...

 

 

 

 

 

 

There was so much more to the Tower of London than I could describe here for you. But places such as the tower, made the long hours (nine) of traveling overseas worth it. Then traveling via bus or tube to get to other places in the area. Was a little different at first to travel by the tube, like a subway, but it was really convenient once you figured it out. I will say though that the people there value things differently than us. Lets just say I'm thankful for manners (excuse me and sorry) and personal space. There is no disrespect towards their culture and how they act in public, it is just way different than how I was raised and taught to act in public.   

 

This was a once in a lifetime trip for me, and I honestly wouldn't change anything about it... except for maybe the weather. It was a tad bit chilly over there for me. I recommend traveling to these places and enjoying/soaking up all the history, culture and beauty that England has to offer. For me personally, experiencing a completely different culture and living in it for ten days was something I will probably never be able to do again in my life, so take advantage of it while you can.