Getting up at 8, taking my time with breakfast and getting ready, I plan out my day. Start off with the Tower of London, then Big Ben, then off to shooting locations from Shaun of the Dead. Camera all charged up, glasses on, I leave the apartment at 10. Jump onto the train at Old Street Station and rode it to Tower Hill.
Upon getting there, I see that all the lines to buy tickets were full with 20+ people in each. Not too sure if I wanted to go in because it was going to be very busy, I walk around the corner to get some water and coffee, I come back to see that they’re all nearly empty. Screw it, let’s go. I pay for my entry, buy a tour guide book, and go in.
I start off by going into the place where the Royal Mint was located. Seeing all the tools and old coins, I start playing a game that they setup to see if I can become the next Mint Master. A touch-screen game, having me finding the proper weight of a coin, choosing what bone to use to encompass the metal, try to keep the furnace at the proper temperature, the entire process in making coins. Nearing the end of the game, it crashed. I guess I was too good for the game. It rebooted and restarted at the beginning. After the Mint, I began walking the wall, going from church to bedroom, to armoury, to a fireplace lounge looking area. There was also a room with previous Kings’ and Queens’ crowns. It wasn’t the Crown Jewels display, that was in a different room. While in this room, I couldn’t take any pictures.
After the wall, the Regimental Headquarters Museum was in my path, with the Royal Guard across the courtyard. After a few pictures, and watching him through the process of changing rifle position from right shoulder to left, I decided to go see the Crown Jewels first, since it was right there behind the Royal Guard. I couldn’t take any pictures in here either. In here there was a lot of the colour purple. Purple signifying royalty of course. The amount of gold, diamonds, ivory, and jewels in this room, if sold on the black market, I do believe the money could buy everyone in Barrie a cup of coffee, every day, for the next twenty-years.
After being around more majesty than what Trogor has, I moved into the Regimental HQ. In there they had all sorts of medals on display, filling cabinets and drawers, also the entire history of the English military. On the outside were also big canons and gun turrets, from the 18th century to 1949. I know of a few friends who would love this part of the Tower.
After looking at all the weaponry, I turn around to see the changing of the guards. I must have looked like a goof, running like a crazy person to get over there in time. Once there, I began recording. About 3/4 of the way through my camera turns off and tells me that my card is full. NO!!! I must have taken more pictures than I had thought! Nearly crushing my camera into pieces, I watch the rest of the changing ceremony.
Touring around the last few nooks and crannies here, I look at my watch and find out that it’s almost 4! I have been here for much longer than I had thought and had planned! With the sun almost set and my tummy telling me that it’s empty, Big Ben and Shaun of the Dead would have to wait. I went back to the apartment and Meital was there. We talked about how our day went, and how jealous she was of me to be seeing London from a tourist’s point of view. After a bit, she headed out. I charged my phone, unloaded my camera, then went out for dinner. I chose poorly on where to eat. The place looked decent enough on the outside, pretty nifty on the inside, but smelt like a dirty public washroom. Got a bite to eat and went back to the apartment for 7:30. Wrote in my journal for a bit, bought tickets for Stonehenge for tomorrow, and decided to go to bed at 10.
Time to check out the Druids’ digs and see all the hubbub about Stonehenge.