The Tower of London 2014

The Tower of London

Historic Royal Palaces

Click on the above links to visit the Historic Royal Palaces website and The Tower of London website.

 For the first day on my own I thought I would just cross the street and visit the Tower of London.  I've been here 3 times before, but today I was flying solo so I was able to spend as much time as I wanted exploring.  I bought my ticket (GBP 22.00) and then wandered along the outside perimeter along the river to get a good look at the Tower.  The Tower was built in 1066 to keep hostile Londoners at bay by William the Conquerer. Over the years The Tower has been used as many things including a  palace, prison, a royal observatory and the royal mint.    Many famous people were kept prisoner here including Anne Boleyn, Sir Walter Raleigh and Queen Elizabeth I.

The moat is covered in grass and you are able to wander along the outside.  On the street side of the tower is a pathway, benches and flowers, a perfect place for a rest.  When the tower was no longer used for defense, the moat was turned into a zoo.

Yeoman Warder also known as a Beefeater.

Every 1/2 hour a guided tour by a Beefeater can be taken.  Don't be put off by the large crowds, these guys can yell really loud for all to hear!  Our guide was hysterically funny (this is not him, unfortunately).  Each tour takes about an hour but it seems so much shorter!  The Yeoman Warder a.k.a. Beefeaters were established in 1509 as the Royal Bodyguards.  They live within The Tower walls and must have served honorably in the military for 22 years.   

 

At the heart of The Tower of London complex is The White Tower.  It is the oldest building at the tower and was built to strike fear into the hearts of Londoners.  It is a fine example of Norman architecture.  It houses a fascinating collection of armor throughout British history.  You can see all the armor from all the kings and nobles including their horses.

My obligatory selfie to prove I was there!

Legend has it that if the six resident ravens leave The Tower the nation will fall.  There are currently 7 ravens in residence at The Tower, the 6 needed and a spare!  The ravens have one clipped wing and a Raven Master who takes care of them. 

Above is their cage where the ravens spend the night. 

Also in the above picture is various examples of architecture.  The Shard, the newest building in London, The Roman Wall - behind the ravens cage, The Medieval Towers and Palace built in the 1300's  and the Tudor buildings built for Anne Boleyn (but never used by her) in 1533.  

 The Tower of London and the Roman Wall. 

Another look. 

 The Tower has various displays of animals that used to be kept there made out of many different materials.  They were very well done.

 In the basement of The Tower, I found this dragon made from various pieces of armor and weapons. I loved it!

 Coat of Arms. 

 A peak into the interior of the old Medieval Palace.  

I spent about 41/2 hours here.  The crown jewels are magnificent and are included in the price of admission (no pics allowed).  There is a pretty good cafe/restaurant and really nice gift stores. I never tire of visiting.  

Visit the website for more information.

The Grange City Hotel - London

 We stayed 9 days at The Grange City Hotel in The City of London.  This hotel was recommended to my husband because it was close to the office were he was conducting business and it was a reasonable priced 5 star hotel.  It is right by The Tower of London and the London Bridge.  There were several restaurants, Starbucks, Pret A Manger and Pubs nearby.  I enjoyed walking the Thames Path walkway everyday for exercise.  It is a nice walkway along the riverbank with art and restaurants.

 Our room was spacious and on the club level, so we enjoyed a continental breakfast, coffee and tea every morning.  I wasn't around at lunch, but at dinner they had some fajita wraps and salads available along with soda, water, beer and wine.  A couple of nights when my husband was working and I was exhausted from exploring the city, I enjoyed a fajita wrap and caesar salad for dinner - Free!   The lounge also included a TV, computers and printers.  There was no one to man the lounge, but there was a phone to call for assistance if needed.

 The hotel was right next door to The Tower Hill entrance to the tube station which was ultra convenient.  It was clean but just a little dated.  It is a good 20 minutes away from all the action, but it is easy to get there.  We had four people and we figured out that it was as cheaper to take a cab versus the subway when there were four of you.  The round trip tube ticket was 8 pounds 90 a person and a cab ride was about 30 pounds (roundtrip).

 To the right of our hotel was the Tower and Tower Bridge.  You could see it from the doorway.  Three minute walk across the street.

 This was the view from our room.  The Shard...

 Trinity Square and the Naval building.  Trinity square is a green space and it used to be Tower Hill where The Tower of London's executions took place.  Not the executions of those closest to the King, like Anne Boleyn, but others that were more minor that irritated him.

 The Gerkin.  This is 30 St. Mary's Axe, the former Swiss Re Building and affectionately known as the Gerkin.

 Right across the street from our hotel was The Natural Kitchen Restaurant.  They had a wonderful menu and the food was delicious.

The Chicken Club Sandwich

The restaurant had sit down service and a nice salad/food bar for take away.  We also enjoyed warm weather while we were there and they had outdoor picnic tables that were full everyday for lunch.  You could get all the sandwich selections (which include the hamburgers) as "skinny" and they would leave off the bun and give you salad instead of fries.  I really liked that.  I enjoyed this restaurant so much, I ate there 3 times! 

Hot Tips for Travel Overseas

I want to share with you a couple of hot tips and just some things that made our life a little easier while we were on our vacation in London and Loire Valley.  

1.  Buy your foreign currency from the bank.  You need about a 3 day notice, but our currency was delivered to the bank the next day.  You want to exchange at your bank because they don't charge you a fee which can be a percentage of the money you are exchanging and they give you the lowest rate.

2.  Buy as many things as you can here before you leave in US Dollars.  This also saves you a lot of money in exchange fees and fluctuating values.  I buy a lot of day trips, theater tickets, rail tickets, metro tickets, Disneyland Paris tickets etc. here before I leave.  Saves me at least 30%.  Sometimes the price is the same in US Dollars as in Euros and that saves you even more.  I buy from Things To Do in expedia and from the attraction's website depending on the offers.  

3. Use your credit card benefits to your advantage.  The American Express Platinum offers no exchange rate fee on purchases overseas.  This saves you 3% immediately.  This card allows use of Airport VIP lounges, best exchange rate, upgrades at hotels including things like free wifi, room upgrade etc.  Also, this card gives you insurance on a rental car, FREE, when used to rent the car.  The insurance can be almost as much as the rental itself if purchased separately.  This card came in handy with our rental car this trip.  While turning onto a narrow street in France, there was a car in the middle of a very small lane and we had to quickly move to the side of the street thus scrapping the rim of the mercedes we rented.  Since we paid with the American Express, they covered our bill of 850 Euros we were charged by the rental company.  Whew!

Band-Aid blister packs - Heel and Toe

4.  I don't care how comfortable your shoes are, if you wear them for hours and hours walking all over the place, they are going to rub your skin and might give you a blister.  I carried these blister bandaids  in my purse and when I started to get a blister on my toe and one on my heel, I just applied the bandaid and I never felt them again.  They stick really well and provide a lot of cushion which is better than just a good old bandaid.  

Garmin

5.  Driving through the highways and backroads of France would have been a nightmare without the Garmin.  It got us out of the confusing big highways of Paris and navigated us through the tiny back roads and highways in the countryside.  The roads are not marked very well in the country and can be confusing.  We were never lost with the Garmin.  We downloaded a map of Europe before we left and what a lifesaver.  To find where you want to go, you can input and address or just the name of the place, restaurant or airport where you are going.  Worked like a charm. 

6.  Carry Change when driving in Europe.  There are a ton of toll roads so make sure you have cash on hand to pay the tolls.  It costs us 19 Euros to drive the A10 when driving from Paris to the Loire Valley and when we went to Mont. St.-Michel.

7.  Have a plan but be flexible with your schedule.  Because I buy somethings here, we have to set dates to do certain things i.e. Matilda on Monday night, but leave some days open for fun things that come up or just to rest and explore nearby.  

8.  Keep a snack in your purse and carry a water bottle.  When you are out walking all around visiting different sights, sometimes its hard to find a place to eat.  If you have a small snack, it will tide you over until you are free for dinner. 

I'm sure there are many more that I haven't thought of, but these are the ones that have served me well. 

I'm back from vacation...

Katie

I'm back from my vacation to London and The Loire Valley.  I am editing photos and hope to have something posted tomorrow.  

Lunch at the Beachcomber at Crystal Cove

 We had a really fun and delicious meal at the Beachcomber Cafe in Crystal Cove yesterday.  We were celebrating two birthdays.  Crystal Cove is in Newport Beach and the restaurant is right on the sand.  The best part is that it is reasonably priced!  We had a beautiful cool day in the high 60's.

 In the winter/spring they put up the canopy and siding to keep out the wind and beach mist.  Right after we got there, they raised the siding and the cool breeze blew through.

In the summer, they remove the canopy and siding and umbrellas are the providers of shade.  The food was delicious.  They had a nice combination of American and Seafood.  Our table ordered: Mahi maui tacos, Ahi tacos, Shrimp Cobb salad, Chicken Sandwich,  Mahi Mahi BLT and everyone loved what they had.  They also offer, burgers, turkey sandwich, tomato soup etc.  (lunch menu). Sorry, no pics of the food. 

Crystal Cove also offers cottage for rent from the 1920's.  I believe they are part of the State Park System and they are booked 6 months in advance.  They are reasonably priced and right on the beach.  You park in a parking lot across the highway and you can either take a shuttle across or you can walk along a paved path under the highway.  They offer breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Lately...

 In March, this beautiful little girl was born.  She is my nephews baby.  I haven't met her yet, as they live in Oregon, but I hear they are coming out in August and hopefully I'll get to see her.

She just melts my heart, the cutest baby!  I can't wait to cuddle her.

 These two, for once Gus has the upper hand, but not for long...

 My Mother's Day Table.  The kids made me a wonderful lunch with a beautifully set table.

 Chargers: Anna Weatherly, powder blue.  China: Westchester, Lenox. Napkins: Pottery Barn. Glasses: Anthropology

We went to K1 and raced around the track.  Well, they raced and I apparently puttered.  I thought I was going fast but was lapped by everyone twice!!!  Every time I would head into the stretch, I would get the blue flag with yellow stripes which means pull over to the right, someone wants to pass you.  I really felt like I was going really fast, what the heck?

Delaney's Graduation CSUF

 Delaney graduated from Cal State Fullerton on Sunday with a BA in Child and Adolescent Studies.  We are really proud of her.  She graduated Cum Laude while maintaining a part time job as a special needs teachers assistant.  She loves her work and it is wonderful to see the joy she receives from it.  She will be going on to get her credential and probably her masters.

 It has been in the low 100's here this last week, but we had a really nice day to celebrate graduation, thus our totally casual attire.   It is California after all.

 Delaney's best friend, Allye (above), just graduated from college in Pennsylvania and was able to attend Delaney's graduation,  and her sister, Kirsten (below),  studied the same major as Delaney and graduated with her.

It was a great day and we are so proud of all of our girls, who have graduated from college with honors.

Disclaimer:  The Handsome Husband hates himself in this picture.  I am pulling on his shirt and making him look fat.  He is not fat, he is in awesome shape!!!  Haha!

P.S. We are not having a graduation party this year.  Delaney doesn't want one, she hates attention, so I'm honoring her wishes.  Sorry guys!