kaitou | I heart London (Reply)

Today I slept in waaay too late. And then had a breakfast of sausage and flaky pastry with a blackcurrant juice to wash it down.

flidgetjerome says that things in flaky pastry are a huge part of British Cuisine, and I contend that they are a fabulous one.

We went to the Tower of London. I was afraid that it might be overcrowded, and/or really cheesy and not worth admission, but it was fantastic!!

First we hit the Medieval Tower and learned about Edward III and his floral bedroom. Flidget kept making fun of the flowers, but I thought they were very tasteful. I also cackled over a signpost that said that at the end of Lent the serving women would all pin him in bed and not let him get out and uh..visit...his wife until he paid them a ransom.

On our way to the Armory we noticed some people in costume. The woman shouted "Gather Round! Gather Round!" so of course we did. There was a short little play about Father John Gerard, a Jesuit priest that ran around being proactively Catholic when that was not a very smart thing to do, and the Arden family (related to Shakespeare!). The actress playing Mrs. Arden asked, "Are there any Catholics in the audience?" You could hear the crickets in the silence. So even though I'm Catholic more in the breach than the observance so I raised my hand.

"So how do you deal with being a Catholic these days?"
"I moved to America."

She took us over to a window at the tower to meet Father Gerard. He would bribe the guard for an orange, feather, string and paper. He would use the feather for a quill and write secret messages in orange juice (better secret ink than lemon because it won't re-fade. That way you know if someone else has read your secret message) on the paper. Then he would take the string and bits of orange peel and make rosaries for other Catholic prisoners.

He escaped. And warned the jailer so that he could escape too. We talked to two of the actors for a little bit after the show and they were both totally fun and enthusiastic.

We went on to the Armory and saw Henry VII's amazing gunblade, gunshield, three barreled gun and amazing codpiece. As Flidget says, "We get the point!!"

Then we went and saw the Crown Jewels. Awesome. The scepter has a diamond the size of my fist. Sailor Moon eat your heart out. It's totally amazing. Surprising bits of the Regalia were a bird and spoon. In the area that they were on display I went up and asked one of the uniformed gentlemen...
"Can I ask a question?"
"The spoon, right?"
"No, the duck!"

The duck was not a duck but an eagle (sorry, didn't mean to insult it) that holds the anointing oil, which is poured into the spoon for use. Flidget was shocked that I actually asked anyone about it.

We had lunch at the on-site cafe that was not really all that crowded or particularly cheesy. I had scones again...I love scones so much now. I have to point out how much the British love their cheese though. In America you might buy a 'ham & cheese sandwich' here you buy a 'ham and edam sandwich.' I've never even HEARD of edam cheese.

After lunch we wandered back outside and discovered that the actors had changed all their costumes to a different period and were doing a bit about stealing the crown jewels. It was really funny, and apparently all based on reality. I love reality, it is so much more bizarre than anyone's imagination.

We saw the Bloody Tower and were directed to the Beauchamp Tower by a friendly guard. It looked like it was closed, and we'd never have known it wasn't without him. (The front had all kinds of scaffolding, and a giant banner that featured one of the actors pretending to be another important person. Good for him.) The inside of the Tower was covered with graffiti left by all the past prisoners. Many of them were surprisingly beautiful and poetic. No profanities or angry words to be found, which is probably what I'd have left behind.

There was a tiny little room hidden over by the bathrooms that had nothing calling attention to it, and didn't even look like it was anything. But inside there was a display about a man who was drowned to death in a barrel of mead. Next to the display was a barrel of mead, with a tv screen in the top, showing a guy's face drowning over and over again.

We stopped at the Tower Gift Store where I gave in to my need for expensive tourist crap. I managed to hold back until today, but the American need to consume can not be stopped.

Flidget took me to one of her favorite spots, St. Dunstan's Church. It was all bombed out, but they've left it in ruins and let the plants grow wild around it to a really beautiful effect.

We went back to Harrow and the grocery store. While we waited in line we watched a young girl with a Frappacino that we coveted so badly that there should be a commandment against it. So we stopped for an iced coffee on the way home. It was excellent, not too sweet, but not at all bitter. We need the Cafe Nero chain here in America.

I read my way through Green Arrow and She Hulk comics while Flidget napped to recover from the heat. Then we watched a building show where they made a neat house that spiraled up like a loop of orange peel. The core of the whole building was styrofoam blocks that they then poured concrete into. Flidget bemoaned that this was considered exciting Prime Time TV. I say that you can't be upset about it if you so obviously enjoy it.

Got Flidget to watch the end of Avatar.

I FEEL like the King.