Top of the Morning, Gov’ner
One of the jobs as a parent is to make your kids do things they don’t want to do but will benefit from. Today was one of those days.
We started by heading to the Tower of London to get a dose of London history. We and most of the United States arrived around noon for a jam-packed but still informative and entertaining tour by one of the Yeomen Warders. You might know them but they’re more common nickname, a Beefeater (yes, like the guys on the gin bottle). The origin of that nickname is unknown but it possibly originated because as the king/queen official bodyguards they were allowed to eat meat at mealtime unlike other soldiers. The process of becoming a Yeoman Warder requires at least 22 years of military service before undergoing the training process to become a Beefeater. And we were advised that the outfit that they wear is not a costume, it’s a uniform! As your reward you get the lead around a bunch of ignorant Americans in the hot sun in an impossibly warm uniform. One benefit for some is that they get to live in one of the small houses within the walls of the Tower of London. So they got that going for them, which is nice.
The tour was excellent and we might have stayed longer had we not pre-arranged a 3 PM bicycle tour. We made our way via the Underground to Waterloo station where the bike tour scheduled to meet. With Tom’s injured shoulder he was not able to join the excellent Secret Paths of London tour. So while Sue and the kids set off air bike ride, Tom set off stroll the south Bank of the Thames and visit the Tate museum. It was a good thing he didn’t go while riding one-handed might be possible in normal circumstances doing so in and out of London traffic would not have been a good idea. Sue and the kids enjoyed their time navigating the city street and discovering hidden London.
We all reconnected around seven and walked from Waterloo, past the London Eye, and across Westminster Bridge to the Embankment station where Sue and the kids left to go home and Tom continued his walking tour of London. He stopped by Trafalgar Square and then wandered into Covenant Gardens to enjoy a delicious Indian meal. Meanwhile Sue and the kids re-joined the Turner‘s and enjoyed an evening of exploring the adorable village of Hamstead.
A lovely day in lovely London.
