Across the Pond - Day 3

This turned out to be a very educational day, learning much about the history of the tower which began in 1066 under the reign of William the Conqueror. A Yeoman Warder (Beefeater) told us many stories of blood, guts and torture. The three torture devices displayed were the Rack, the Scavenger's Daughter, and the Manacles. We all know what the Rack is...as for the Scavenger's Daughter-a metal device that goes around ones body in a crouching position and compresses you for an hour....the Manacles hung you by your wrists for 5-6 hours. We decided to take a poll on what our "choice of torture" would be....I chose the Scavenger's Daughter, Linda and Ashley both chose the Manacles, ugh !!! 1 hour of torture seemed a lot better than 5-6 hours....thank God we'll never have to know which is worse.
We also got to see the site of 7 private executions, including Anne Boleyn in 1536.
Another thing we learned was that to become a Yeoman Warder, one has to have served in the armed forces for a minimum of 22 years, obtained the rank of Lt.Colonel, received the Medal of Honor, and then apply for the position. Currently there are only 33 of them in the world. They also live on the premises, with their families, along with the Governor of The Tower, doctor, and chaplain.

Ahhh, The Crown Jewels were next, along with the coronation items. The Imperial State Crown, which was made for George VI in 1937 and altered for Queen Elizabeth II in 1953, has over 2800 diamonds, 17 sapphires, 11 emeralds, 5 rubies, and 273 pearls. The Coronation Robe is made with spun gold and weighs in at 20 pounds !! I asked Linda, "Do you think she wears the robe for any other occasions?" What do you think her answer to me was?
"Sure she does, when she gets out of the shower!" Then Ashley asked it she ever gets to wear the crown....again, Linda replies, "Yes, as a shower cap when she also gets to wear the coronation robe!" We giggled throughout the jewels !!

Afterwards, we met Zachary for dinner and had a delicious Italian meal at L'Ulivo in Leceister Square (similar to NYC Times Square), then called it a night.

Tomorrow we're off the The National Gallery to see some art !!