Stomping Grounds

To wrap up London, we were also guests at the Tower of London where we saw the royal crown jewels, which sports the biggest cut diamond in the world and looked about the size of a lemon. The outer walls looked to be well-over ten feet thick and then you had another wall around the tower itself. The tower could only be entered by steps leading about thirty feet up the side. In an emergency the steps could be set on fire, leaving the enemy on the outside looking up. The walls also concealed perriers, which were small catapults, that launched massive projectiles that could take out three enemy soldiers at time. It turns out that only two prisoners have ever escape, and one was a priest who received a rope in a bottle of alcoholic beverage. I'll drink to that. Cheers!

In Westminster Abbey we saw Darwin's tomb in the floor of the church. At the top of the archway into the chancel there is a protruding face with tongue sticking out right above Darwin's final resting place. It turns out that the architect didn't care too much for Darwin's theory of unintelligent design! Pun intended.

On our last day in England, we spent the whole day stomping around the royal palace of Hampton Court, where Henry VIII liked to pass his time in luxurious country living. He was buff in his younger years but wasn't much for roughing it. I believe it was here or at Windsor, where Henry hosted emperor Maximillian and got into a fighting match with the young ruler. Report has it that Max knocked Henry on his bum, and Henry found it difficult to turn the other cheek. Wink, wink ....

It was hear that I had my first scone with jam and clotted creme. What a delicacy! Clotted creme is like the creamiest ice cream or frozen custard you've ever tasted, but it's served warm and doesn't melt, except in your mouth. Needless to say, it was delicious beyond belief, and I spent the rest of the day working off the calories in Henry's  sixty acres of gardens.  The gardens contained some of the most beautiful sights and smells on the trip, especially a huge walled rose garden almost the size of a football field!  

There are also over 170 chimneys of red brick and each one is of a unique and usually elaborate design. The small Tudor chapel was one of the most ornate spaces I've ever seen, and I've been in the Vatican! The whole interior reminded me of the Renaissance interiors of Italy. Henry VIII certainly set out to impress. There was also a huge maze of hedgerows where we took many wrong turns until finally popping out. 

Stay tuned for Scotland ....