Albuquerque Hobbs: July 1-2, 2019: London England--Tower of London

July 1st: We finally had our Thai food in London at a place called Thai Taste, and it was really good. Today's big adventure was going to the Tower of London and having a tour of the buildings and history. We also went to our 3rd musical on this trip.

Did I mention that here in London you have to take the Metro everywhere, unless you want to spend most of the day walking? Luckily, there are a lot of Metro stations in London.

My honey always on his phone, mapping out our next destination

Thai Taste, where we enjoyed our first Thai meal in London

We had shrimp spring rolls, yellow curry with chicken, and Chicken Pad Thai

So pretty!

We found the building where Alfred Hitchcock lived for 13 years

Those bright splashes of color from the flowers make all the difference
on an otherwise old brick building

Monument of William Shakespeare with fountains and sitting areas around it

Tower of London--Fortress, Royal Palace, and Infamous Prison
located on the north bank of the Thames River in central London

This wall used to be the mote and was filled with water
and waste from all the Tower's toilets

Goofing around while waiting for our tour guide

This pretty structure is up on a hill and has nothing to do with London Tower

White Tower, the main tower of Tower of London
There are actually 21 towers in the Tower of London

The EIIR stands for Queen Elizabeth II

We weren't allowed to take photos of the Crown Jewels inside the vault
of the Tower of London, but they were dazzlingly beautiful

We were however permitted to take photos inside the vast armory,
and I have an overkill of pictures on this blog posting

Man have women come a LONG way!

The St. John's Chapel inside White Tower

Sharp jousting sticks

Swords of royalty

Artistic dragon

Inside the dungeon of White Tower, tortures took place

The second worst way to be tortured to death

The depictions felt so dark and barbaric

Artillery cannons

Spiked gates in the entrances of the London Tower

Look out openings in the wall where shots could be fired at the enemy

Beheading and other torture devices

The Royal Mint where currency was made

The Tower of London was certainly worth visiting and learning about

These passage ways were used to let boats in and out of the Tower of London

Leaving the Tower of London

The iconic Tower Bridge on the River Thames
is one of my favorite landmarks in London

Glass buildings and the Shard

The Shard certainly looks like a shard of glass

Floral shop on the streets of London

The Bugis Street Brasserie Singapore Chinese restaurant close to our hotel
where we had our favorite meal. Can't wait to go back and try more dishes!

The Phoenix Theater where we saw "Come From Away"

This musical is based on the true story about the 7,000 people who were dropped off on Gander in Newfoundland Canada after the September 11th terrorist plane crashes happened in the U.S. Their flights were diverted to the small island, where these stranded strangers were offered comfort, hospitality, and friendship during a very lonely and stressful five days away from home.

The opening stage set was simple with little changes during the show,
but the story and dialogue kept the musical going till the very end

July 2nd: I was happy to stay in my hotel room all day while Mike attended his meeting with AWE (Atomic Weapons Establishment) in Leeds. He had to get to the airport to rent a car and then drive to Leeds--on the left side of the road. Glad I haven't had to do that yet! He didn't get back until about 8pm.

While Mike was gone, I did some floor exercises, caught up on my blog, had a shower, called my sister Cathy (in Tennessee), and read a couple chapters from my Saints--Volume 1 book. I'm anxious to finish the book so I can be ready to read the next volume when it comes out. It's really good! I am in awe of how many hardships, persecution, and abuse the early saints and leaders of the Church endured. I am so grateful for their love of the gospel and for their faith and many sacrifices. We are a very blessed Church today!

Mike and I enjoyed dinner again at the Bugis Street Brasserie. Afterwards, we went to a local market called Waitrose (like we did last night) to buy snacks for the rest of the evening: fresh cherries, chocolate ice cream, chips, and cookies. We have vowed to put an end to our late night binging when we go home! We watched a series on Netflix and Mike could not stay awake. So I'm back to blogging while he sleeps. Tomorrow is our last day in London, and then we fly back home on the 4th.