On my day off while in London I paid a visit to the Tower of London. We walked from the Underground along the Thames and then across the Tower Bridge, stopping by London Bridge to snap a photo. (Note: it doesn’t appear to be in any danger of falling down.)

The White Tower at the center was originall built by William the Conqueror in 1078. It was pretty cool to see this ancient stone fortress with walls 15 feet thick immediately adjacent to the crazy-modern Swiss RE building at 30 St Mary Axe.

We took an excellent guided tour, courtesy of one of the Tower’s famous Yeomen Warders (aka Beefeaters.) He took us through the Tower giving us the low-down on the various wonders of the tower as well as its (very) dark side. Lots of famous folks lost their heads here (Thomas More, Guy Fawkes, Anne Boleyn, and more!) or spent some fun times in the torture chamber below the Tower.

We skipped the Crown Jewels but did see the Tower Ravens and toured a huge collection of armor and weapons. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many guns in my life!

With the sun heading down and my time in London drawing to a close, it was time to jump back on the Undergroud and head to Parliament…