The Tower of London from outside the perimeter wall
I was one of many this year to spend a few days in Dublin, Ireland before the history of World War II study abroad program officially began in London, England. One of the reasons why I decided to begin my European journey early in Ireland, besides the fact that I would get a chance to experience yet another foreign country, was that I hoped that maybe by the time I arrived in London I would be effectively over my jet-lag. Fortunately for me, two days in Dublin was enough time to get my internal clock wired to European time. However, by the time I arrived in London my jet-lag was replaced with general exhaustion. There had simply been too much to see and do in Dublin to get a full night’s sleep any night I spent there; the issue only got worse in London where, with the aid of my Underground pass and London Pass, my options for activities got exponentially larger. Every day after we finished our program business for the day I wanted to go straight back to the hotel and sleep the rest of the day away but I fought the urge and continued my day by visiting historical sites and museums or just by exploring London and the Underground by myself. There was too much to see and I could not let myself waste my time sleeping when I had a city to explore.
Medieval castle on one side, modern London on the other
One of my favorite places I visited during my free time in London was the Tower of London. At first it was a little jarring to see a medieval castle surrounded by modern buildings but after an hour walking through stone passages, spiral staircases, and courtyards filled with people in period costumes, I soon forgot about the cars and construction going on just outside the stone perimeter walls.
One of the many spiraling staircases within the Tower of London
I enjoyed many things within the tower, like the remains of a Roman wall which dated back to the period of the Western Roman Empire, the reconstructed sets within the castle rooms, and the many different suits of armor put on display, but easily my least favorite part of the tower was its number of steep, spiraling staircases; how did soldiers back then easily run up and down those while under attack? I could barely walk up and down them slowly under much calmer circumstances. Although the reconstructed torture room was creepy enough, perhaps the most chilling part of the whole tower was the original carvings left on the wall by former prisoners of the tower; the carvings really made the whole experience realer for me.
‘IHS MA’ carved into the wall. The Latin underneath reads ‘Jesus have mercy on me. Mary pray for me R. Ithell’. Ralph Ithell was a catholic priest imprisoned in 1586
Also located within the Tower of London were the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom. Unfortunately I was unable to take pictures of the jewels but let me tell you, they were impressive
Next up on the trip we’ll be headed to France where we’ll be staying in Bayeux and Paris for a week and a half. Maybe somewhere in that time I’ll manage to get a full night’s sleep.