Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Wednesday--Tower of London




The infamous Tower of London was on my list this day, built in 1076 by William the Bastard (as he is affectionately known--actually an illegitimate child) aka William the Conqueror. Our London Walks guide Tom had many stories historical and humorous for us during the tour. It was overcast, cold and windy so we shivered because of the climate and because the Tower was a brutal place--we weren't spared the gory details. It was a royal palace as well as a prison, execution sight and torture chamber. Its Treasury still houses the Crown Jewels.

Our guided tour ended and we were free to view the Crown Jewels (they're inside where it was warm) and to explore on our own. The jewels are impressive and worth seeing but truthfully one crown looks very much like another. Same for diamonds over 300 carats.

My priority was getting a bite to eat and the Tower's cafe was a welcome sight. I chose a bowl of gruel to warm me up. It was a good vegetable soup and hit the spot.

The Old City was my next adventure, specifically the Criminal Courts in the Old Bailey. I had some guidance from Rick Steves on my iPod but still had to ask guidance from locals. I moved in reverse from Rick's guided tour but the chapters on his podcast made it easy to pick and choose what I wanted to hear.

I came to the Magistrate's Court first and popped in for a couple of minor cases. A homeless young man pleaded guilty to a charge of begging. He'd been standing by an ATM saying "God Bless You" to tourists getting cash. His record sheet was lengthy and he received a fine of over 200 pounds. Of course he didn't have the money so he was sentenced to serve the rest of the day in custody. Second case on the docket was a man who likes to buy expensive shoes and purses using fake credit cards. He plead guilty but due to the severity of his case (and the fact that he committed his crimes while on probation) he will languish in custody until April 19 while the magistrates confer with his probation officer.

The Old Bailey Criminal Courts presented a bit of a challenge. Once found I had to stow my bag at a local deli (2 pounds fee) because cameras and other gear aren't allowed inside the court. The imposing dome pictures the lady in gold on top with a sword in one hand and the scales of justice in the other.

I sat in the Visitors' Gallery for a murder case that had been running for 2 weeks already. A psychiatrist was on the stand testifying that the young man who was the accused had been depressed at the time of the murder. The prosecutor thumbed through notebooks that had been color coded and accent markered making the point that the man had been seen and evaluated just prior to the crime and had shown no signs of depression--he was functioning normally. I only stayed for the 20 minute minimum, no telling how long the trial would run.

I reclaimed my bag then walked back up Cheapside Street to the Tube station. Stopped at a big Tesco grocery store and picked up a few items then headed home where I could put my feet up, have a cold pint from the fridge and read the evening Standard.
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Cheers!

1 comment:

  1. When we went to the Tower, it was a cold and rainy day. I actually got depressed learning about all the horrible things that had transpired there. Peeking behind the curtain of human history can sometimes be a saddening experience. But your soup looks awesome!

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