So much for that...I should have known better

So my plan last night was to start my day with the Tower of London, then do a little self-guided walk of the area of Westminster and Trafalgar Square, broken up with a visit to the Churchill Museum and War Cabinet Rooms, and then finishing up the day with the National Gallery. Yeah. Right. I should know me better than to attempt such a thing!

I think the main problem is the incredibly short hours of London's top sights. You are lucky to find something open at 9 or 9:30, so forget about 8. I made it to the Tower of London before 8:30, but it didn't open until 9. However, you can bet your last dollar that I was the first one in that wonderfully moat-surrounded, intensely rich piece of British history! I had a great time exploring the past of the entire complex surrounding the Tower of London, including the old medieval palace of Edward I, the rooms of Ralegh and other prisoners, the site of many infamous executions including Anne Bolyn, and the overwhelming collections of the White Tower and its Armoury. But I think I have to draw the line when it comes to the Crown Jewels. I will admit, I was taken in by the expensive sparkliness of the displays, but I could only shake my head in wonder that the very existence of such...extravagance in wealth. I suddenly felt the great divide that separated me from the British people, for no American would ever dream of worshiping those objects, or immediately bowing to whomever happened to wear them. Sure, I was touched and had goosebumps when I watched the footage from the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, but I think that had more to do with the chilliness of the room, and the incredibly dramatic music that played in the background. I left stunned by how different we truly are from the British, even though we appear rather close in many other circumstances. My love of equality runs too deep to be impressed by very, very, very big diamonds on a rather large and heavy-looking piece of ancient headgear.

After spending hours and hours in the Tower of London, I knew I had to scratch the four-sights-in-one-day plan. So I headed off for Westminster, with the intention of following the walk until I came to the Churchill Museum, and then picking up with whatever time I had left. The Churchill Museum is part of a larger exhibit in the fabulously restored underground War Cabinet Rooms from which Churchill ran the British armies of World War II. The War Cabinet Rooms in themselves were awesome, left in their original states from the 1940's. I had the chance to imagine Churchill and his Cabinet sitting in front of me in the Cabinet Room, complete with original furniture and lighting, and to hear Churchill on the phone with Roosevelt and Truman, in a completely top secret room on one of the first transatlantic secure phone lines.

Oops, out of internet time! Sorry for the teaser!