London Day 2

We started our day at the Tower of London, which is a fantastic historical site.

The best part was the Crown Jewels, which displayed royal treasures including my favorite piece, Queen Victoria's tiny crown.  She had it created after the death of her husband to fit with her mourning veil.

You can't take pictures of the crown jewels, so below are Google pics.

 We then took a tour guided by a Beefeater, which was highly entertaining.  They share quite a few colorful historical accounts, including every detail of each execution performed within the tower.

The king (Richard, I believe) had spikes put into several corners around the tower area because he found that too many soldiers were hiding in corners to smoke.  It seems these represent the first anti-smoking laws.

We wandered around for awhile and enjoyed a dancing bagpiper.

London Bridge was practically nextdooor.

We had lunch at the Tower and took a taxi to the Brittish Museum.  This place is a treasure trove of ancient history.  They have a good system: conquer a nation, take their precious artifacts, then leave the country.  It makes for an amazing museum!

I made friends with a 7-ton lion from a tomb in ancient Turkey.

The superstar is the Rosetta Stone in all her glory.

Oh, you know, just hanging out with a Sphinx.

They have quite a few ancient Assyrian carvings, most depicting the king hunting lions from his chariot.

Somehow it is the Brits who own the sculptures and carvings recovered from the Parthenon.

 Then, up to the 3rd floor to see Mummies. So many mummies!  I LOVE MUMMIES!!!

This month has been a whirlwind, and I am feeling the effects over the past few days.  I took a long nap, and we found a great Asian restaurant called Firecracker, where I enjoyed a super-sweet coconut drink and some of the best chicken wings I have ever tasted.  Our area of Westminster is not as bustling as where we stayed in Paris, and it seems most restaurants are closed on Sundays (which I would usually consider a great thing).  However, we are right next to the Burberry headquarters, which feels pretty fancy. :)