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This morning Krista, Ajay, John and I got up early for a trip to the Tower of London, something I’d been looking forward to visiting since we first arrived here. It was a little bizarre walking up to the tower, which looked rather out of place considering that the area around it has now been completely modernized. From inside the walls of the tower you can still see the towering buildings of glass outside which could, at times, be disorienting.
Once inside, we waited a few minutes for the next guided tour to start remembering that Dennis advised us that a trip to the Tower is really incomplete without being led by a Yeoman Warder. We were surprised to learn that the Yeomen Warders, or “Beefeaters” as they’re nicknamed, actually live on the Tower grounds and have extensive requirements to fill before being eligible to apply for a position; they must have served in the armed forces with an honorable record for at least 22 years.
The minute our tour started, we knew it was going to be a memorable experience. It seems that another requirement is that the Warders display comedic acumen while conducting tours - perhaps it really is the best way to approach the topic at hand. Our guide was hilarious, and found ways to turn even the most morbid execution at the Tower of London into a reasonably enjoyable tale.
We started out at the Bell Tower, where we learned Sir Thomas Moore was imprisoned before his beheading. Krista and I immediately looked to each other, recalling our freshman year religion assignment after watching A Man for All Seasons, chronicling Sir Thomas Moore’s famous battle with King Henry VIII. We moved on to the Traitor’s Gate, the separate entrance to the fortress for those who were condemned to death such as Anne Boleyn.
After hearing some more stories of historic betrayal, escape, and death, we found ourselves at the Tower Barracks. It was once thought during the Jack the Ripper investigation, that the elusive serial killer was actually a soldier living there! Right next door is St. George’s Chapel, built on the burial grounds of thousands of executed prisoners including Anne Boleyn, Lady Jane Grey, and Sir Thomas Moore.
After the guided tour, we were able to walk around the grounds and view the Crown Jewels! They don’t allow you to take photographs of the jewels, but take my word for it when I say that they were absolutely spectacular! IF WE HAD taken a picture, this is what they look like. 
The collection features the first star of Africa, the largest cut diamond of perfect clarity. Krista and I let the “people mover” slide us past the jewels, our eyes widening with each new crown or scepter. It was definitely one of the highlights of the tour, but before leaving we also stumbled upon an exhibit showing different methods of torture used at the Tower.
It certainly wasn’t as cheery as our visit with the Crown Jewels, but no less fascinating!
After seeing everything there was to see, we headed back out to the street to take some pictures with the Tower Bridge before going to lunch and returning to Manson Place, South Kensington. It was a wonderful day. Though we were tempted to continue chatting about all that we had seen, we went to bed early, knowing that our wake-up call for tomorrow's trip to Blenheim Palace and Oxford would come right after our heads hit our pillows! Sleep Tight!
Friday (Day 33): The Show Must Go On!
After e-mailing back and forth between the Camden People’s Theater and EUSA, I woke up bright and early on Friday morning for my internship interview. I was slightly nervous, having no idea what to expect, but I was certain that my love for theater would pull me through any question they could possibly ask!
Getting to the theater was a breeze since I had already taken the time to find it before hand, and as I rang the doorbell at the theater I finally got to meet my (hopefully) new boss, Matt Ball. He was very welcoming, and we talked about what I’d been doing here, why I love theater and how it’s impacted my life, my goals for the internship, and what I knew about the Camden People’s Theater and their mission. Fortunately I had read up about them on their web site! Finally we talked about my strengths and weaknesses (which I had definitely prepared for in advance!) before Matt showed me around the theater and told me about the productions coming up. I was really happy to hear that I’ll be doing some work for their upcoming production A Place at the Table, which traces the history of the genocides in Rwanda and the Congo. Thankfully at the end of the interview, I was actually offered the internship! My first day is March 16th and I absolutely cannot wait to get started!
Thursday (Day 32): High Above the City
With nothing too eventful besides classes during the week, we were all looking forward to Thursday for our trip to the London Eye and pub walk afterwards. Even though it didn’t snow at all in South Kensington, we were all startled and somewhat pleased to have another snow day. Thanks to the snow in the countryside our macroeconomics teacher was unable to make the trip to EUSA for our class. None of us were too upset about another chance to sleep in, but we were worried that our plans for the evening were going to be cancelled.
Fortunately this was not the case and we headed out into the freezing cold. The ride on the London Eye was nothing short of spectacular. All twenty-five of us climbed into the Ferris-wheel car that we would stay in for half an hour as we went to get a bird’s eye view of the city at night.
It was breathtaking, and even more exciting that the lights illuminating Big Ben that night were green! I was so excited and got some great pictures! Finally back down on the ground, we walked along the South Bank with our tour guide, stopping by some of the places we had already been and learning even more about them.
It was amazing to see how different the city looked at night, and we all managed to appreciate the tour despite the weather! We stopped at four different pubs along the way and grabbed some delicious fish and chips before going back home for the night.
We passed the London Dungeon on the way to the London Bridge tube station, which made me even more excited about our eventual trip there, even though no one wanted to go over and look at the outside with me. Apparently the darkness made it too scary, making people feel as though Jack the Ripper or Sweeney Todd could pop out at any moment! I went to sleep as soon as we got back home, getting rested for my internship interview tomorrow. Wish me luck!
