Sherlock Holmes museum
Getting to the Tower from Sherlock Holmes museum required me to take two different Big Buses. Because each route only goes in one direction, I traveled through the same streets again and did not mind that in the least. The rain ceased for a while and I even managed to snap pictures of the magnificent Tower Bridge from the top deck of the bus.
My Big Bus ticket already included the entrance fee to the Tower, so I went straight in. It was surprising to see animal sculptures all over the place. Apparently, it was the first ever zoo in London. It was a tradition for kings to exchange exotic animals as gifts. From the 1200s to 1835, the Tower of London hosted lions, tigers, monkeys, elephants, zebras, alligators, polar bears, and kangaroos. They were the animals that could not be found in England. Visitors could buy a ticket to the Royal Menagerie or bring a dog or a cat to feed the animals and get free admission.
After a series of attacks on visitors and staff, it was decided that the Tower was not a proper place to keep animals; most of them were transferred to a new London zoo and the Royal Menagerie was closed in 1832. The Lion Tower was knocked down. These days, the ravens are the only wild animals in the Tower.
Overall, the Tower was not what I expected it to be. I imagined gloomy prison cells and horrible torture chambers. That’s what I read about it when I was a child. Although they did have a dungeon there, the Tower of London was primarily a fortress and royal residence.
The halls of the Tower are now filled with exhibits like this collection of armory below.
From the Tower of London, I rushed to catch a Thames cruise towards my hotel. Its cost was also already included into my Big Bus ticket. The river cruise was both enjoyable and informative. A live narrator commented on what we saw on both river banks with a very British sense of humor. I wish I had taken notes of his jokes.
I got off the boat barely in time for the last Big Bus that evening. The bus slowly made its way to Paddington Station. It was a new route for me; I sat back and listened to the tour audio delighted that I did not need to do more walking, just to find a dinner place by the hotel and then to relax in my room.
The Tower looks very pleasant inside and the armour of the hourse provides also for an ample bra:) The skyskrapers are lovely!
All London buildings, new and old, are lovely