"You know what this place needs? Lions." (Well, funny you should say that)

The Tower of London. Constructed in 1066 by King William I as a fortress. Originally, it was only the White Tower, but as time went on, later kings constructed additional defensive walls. It was a place where prisoners were held and tortured. One of the people pointed out that what would make the place even cooler would be to have lions roaming in the area that used to be the dried up moat. Later, we found out that The Tower also held a great menagerie of animals at a time.
We got a tour from one of the Yeoman Warders (Beefeaters). Apparently, according to our guide, Shady (not joking, his name was Shady and he was rather slim), there is no actual recorded reason for why they are called "Beefeaters." The one theory that makes the most sense is because the guards were well fed (probably with beef) because, well, they were guards and had to be on top of their game. People used the term as an insult against them.
Sadly, we didn't have a lot of time. Arrival time was meant to be 1:15 but we had some issues with at least one person being late so we lost about half an hour and we had to factor in time to get back to FIE for 5 o' clock class. So, I started out with a couple friends but at right off the bat we lost sight of each other, so I was on my own running about trying to see as much as I could after we'd taken the tour. The White Tower was turned into an armouries museum. It was full of suits of armor, swords, guns and cannons. It was really neat. I also got to see the crown jewels. I couldn't take any pictures but it was a lot of gold and shiny jewels. With all of the diamonds on the crowns and the lights, if you just turned your head left and right, you'd get a light show.
I also saw some of the torture devices but other than that, it was a mad run around, snapping pictures at all the stuff I thought looked neat. I really wish I could've had more time there. Maybe eaten at the cafe or just not feel so rushed to see everything. Still, I had a great time at the Tower of London (which is odd considering what it used to be used for). If I had the spare pounds I might consider going back. That's the adventure of the day. I'll update the blog when I find the next one. Till then, later!

The Tower of London

Me being a purse holder as some of the girls take a picture. That's them in the corner, looking at how the picture turned out.

Slim Shady, the Yeoman Warder, our guide.

Entrance to the Crown Jewels

Tower Bridge, a lot cooler than London Bridge

Traitor's Gate

Moat around the Tower (and future lion enclosure)

Video of The Tower of London. Biggest things to point out are The White Tower on the left, Waterloo Block (Crown Jewels) on the right, and the Fusiliers' Museum behind. When I turn, Tower Green and living area of the Yeoman Warders will be to my right.