Touring London

After the hectic day of Wimbledon, our program had a cricket match and a stadium visit in Manchester planned for the afternoon. However, due to London's ability to malevolently change weather every hour, huge rain storms came in the match was canceled. So, instead of a day of sports tourism, we decided to actually be a London tourist and visit a couple of the main sites. With a free afternoon and the next day free to roam around, a couple of us decided to begin at Westminster Abbey.

Westminster Abbey, one of the oldest buildings in London, serves as a church and a graveyard for many of the most historic/prominent figures in England's history. I had been in Westminster before, two years ago, but on a guided tour with my high school graduating class. This time, I was provided with the freedom of an audio guide and my own pace. While I would love to show you pictures of the inside of Westminster, they do not allow pictures or video inside. All I can show you is the outside....but if you can try to imagine from the looks of the outside, the inside is even more spectacular.

The next day we went to The Tower of London, another building from the 11th century. Used to store prisoners, keep safe the crown jewels, and various other uses over the years, it's incredible to simply walk around the grounds and know people built the stone walls you see over a thousand years ago. Here's some pictures of the history and beautiful architecture of the Tower of London.

The outside of the Tower, fitted with an old catapult.

The old streets, historic walls from all centuries of the past.

Standing near one of the entrances. Kings used to live here, so each entrance is fitted with arrow holes and even exotic animals to defend from outsiders. A polar bear was even brought in.

The White Tower in the middle of the Tower of London. Now it is used for a museum for all types of armory and weapons.

Where they now hold the Crown Jewels of England. 

Their military defense system. 

Where some of the governors of London still live!

Some of the armory inside the White Tower.

It was quite a day, especially with the bipolar weather. But right before leaving I was able to snag a couple pictures right outside the Tower of London of the Tower Bridge, now with the 5 Olympic Rings  precluding the Olympic Games, just a month away.