Monday, January 23, 2012

Tower of London

The Tower of London is an iconic landmark situated on the north bank of the River Thames, home of the Historic Royal Palace and The Crown Jewels as well other prominent and powerful entities through the years since it was built in 1078. Tricia and I embarked on a tour lead by a spirited Beefeater, wandered the green (noting the legendary ravens) and explored the Royal Armory. We were engrossed in tales of beheading among others told of London's past, and fascinated by the visual displays of all that accompanied a life of majesty.
The tower is worth a visit especially (or specifically) for a glimpse of the jaw dropping collection of Crown Jewels. The sheer beauty of these gems - among them diamonds, rubys and emeralds to name a few, set in regal purple crowns and gold encrusted wands with their perfectly cut shapes, massive size and intense sparkle factor, is unreal. (Too bad you can't photograph them.) What you can photograph is just about everything else, as shown in the Instagram collage below.
The majestic Tower Bridge can be seen from atop the fortress walls and around the outer perimeter of the area. This famous landmark is commonly mistaken as London Bridge, which is actually further down the river and not nearly as poignant. We didn't have time for a tour of the bridge on this trip, but to marvel in its presence felt like enough.

14 comments:

  1. Your night photos are stunning!! Can you please give me a DSLR tutorial?! ;)

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  2. Agree with Emily, these photos are great!

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  3. Love the photos! The Tower of London is so much fun and has so much history. It is pricey, but so worth the money...for the crown jewels along ;)

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  4. Seriously, I also need a photography tutorial! You are so good and making my previous home look amazing!

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  5. I'm loving these Travel Tuesday posts (and photos...just like everyone else here!).

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  6. wow, it all looks lovely. That bridge is magnificent. I hope to see it in person one day.

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  7. Did you say JEWELS?!
    Looks like such an interesting place to visit.
    Would love to go back to London some day!

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  8. wow, I couldn't agree more with the previous comments- those night photos are so professional!

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  9. I love Travel Tuesday! Beautiful pictures! I have had my nose in Italy travel books this week.

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  10. the photos are so gorgeous!.... good job!


    skip hire

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  11. I will have my trip to London already completely planned whenever I decide to go :)

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  12. great recap! i like the travel tuesday theme :)

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  13. Agree with all the above! Tower of London is on my list of places to see before I die. That crown jewel collection is especially intriguing...

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