After flying all day, I arrived in London around 11:30 p.m. Darren was patiently waiting to pick me up. We spent "our Christmas" together at hotel close to the airport, as his heat went out in his flat. I planned my Monday, as Darren had to work. I took the train into central London, where my first stop was the Tower of London, a place I never made it to on my first trip back in 1989. After waiting in a very long cue, I joined up with a tour group and got the low-down from our friendly and very humorous Yeoman, better known as Beefeaters. Not only was he our
leader, but he was also a resident at the Tower with 35 other guard Yeoman Warders. This fascinating place, of more than 900 years of history, had a sense of dark drear to it, as it was the place where those who committed treason or threatned the throne were held within the walls. Most never made it out alive and those who did were tortured severely before meeting their death at Tower Bridge. All the towers w
ere acessbile to the public, but I made sure I stood in the long cue to visit The Jewel House, the house where all the Crown Jewels are kept. And yes, these are the "real" jewels. No pictures were allowed inside, but the images are frozen in my mind forever. Magnificent! Especially the Imperial State Crown which contains more than 2,800 diamonds, 273 pearls, as well as other gems. Maybe Elizabeth would be kind enough to lend it to me for my next costume party. After strolling the grounds for a bit more, I took a walk across the Tower Bridge. It was completed in 1894 and offer spectacular views
along the river. From the bridge, you can see St. Katharine's Dock, although it was quite foggy that day. After some souvenir shopping and a lovely late lunch of fish and chips, I made my way to Piccadilly Circus to meet Darren for a "mulled wine surprise"...hmmm what is that?
After flying all day, I arrived in London around 11:30 p.m. Darren was patiently waiting to pick me up. We spent "our Christmas" together at hotel close to the airport, as his heat went out in his flat. I planned my Monday, as Darren had to work. I took the train into central London, where my first stop was the Tower of London, a place I never made it to on my first trip back in 1989. After waiting in a very long cue, I joined up with a tour group and got the low-down from our friendly and very humorous Yeoman, better known as Beefeaters. Not only was he our 
leader, but he was also a resident at the Tower with 35 other guard Yeoman Warders. This fascinating place, of more than 900 years of history, had a sense of dark drear to it, as it was the place where those who committed treason or threatned the throne were held within the walls. Most never made it out alive and those who did were tortured severely before meeting their death at Tower Bridge. All the towers w
ere acessbile to the public, but I made sure I stood in the long cue to visit The Jewel House, the house where all the Crown Jewels are kept. And yes, these are the "real" jewels. No pictures were allowed inside, but the images are frozen in my mind forever. Magnificent! Especially the Imperial State Crown which contains more than 2,800 diamonds, 273 pearls, as well as other gems. Maybe Elizabeth would be kind enough to lend it to me for my next costume party. After strolling the grounds for a bit more, I took a walk across the Tower Bridge. It was completed in 1894 and offer spectacular views 
along the river. From the bridge, you can see St. Katharine's Dock, although it was quite foggy that day. After some souvenir shopping and a lovely late lunch of fish and chips, I made my way to Piccadilly Circus to meet Darren for a "mulled wine surprise"...hmmm what is that?
