Royal Bling

Where in the world is Jenny? The Tower of London!

But first, my day began with a bus tour of the London sites. This group ride was a great way to see the landmarks in a short period of time (and in a warm setting!). Here are some of the many shots I snapped as we drove through the streets:

Trafalgar Square 

Nelson's Column

Big Ben

City of London over the Thames

10 Downing Street, where the prime minister lives (note the armed guards out front)

Picadilly Circus, the Times Square of London

St Paul's Cathedral!

Breathtaking, eh?

The Gherkin, a skyscraper in the financial district

Westminster Abbey

Clarence House, the home of Prince Charles and his family

Travis and me in St. James Park

For the movie trivia fans out there (aka Rachel), here's some fun movie facts: 

St James Park: the scene in 101 Dalmations (live-action version) where Roger accidentally bikes into the water

Leadenhall Market: Diagon Alley in the Harry Potter movies

We arrived at Buckingham Palace just in time to get off the bus and watch the changing of the guard. This ceremony occurs every other day at 11:30 AM in the winter. It started drizzling briefly, but that didn't deter large crowds from gathering by the gates.

Buckingham Palace

Crowds waiting for the changing of the guards

Next we crossed over Tower Bridge to visit Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, aka the Tower of London, dun dun dun!

Tower Bridge

The Tower of London

Hi Mom!

Former entrance to the Tower

White Tower; The skeletons of presumably the two young princes were discovered when it was renovated

Bloody Tower

Memorial erected at the execution site

Legend says, "If the ravens leave the Tower, the kingdom will fall."

Torture tools

Ouch

I'm glad today's bathroom facilities have improved...

There were exhibits displaying a variety of artifacts as well:

Armor of King Henry VIII

Armor of King Edward VI, who became king at age 9

Dwarf armor and giant armor...I would not want to get in a fight with that big guy!

Swords of the kings

My favorite part of the trip was seeing the collection of crown jewels (or royal bling, as my tour guide called it). Displayed behind 2-inch thick, bullet-proof glass in the Jewel Tower, these glittering items were absolutely stunning. I saw the largest flawless cut diamond in the world, weighing 530 carats, mounted on the Sovereign's Sceptre. Unfortunately, no pictures were allowed in the Jewel Tower, and this time I was too scared to try to snap some sneaky photos (remember what I said about Big Brother in London?). You'll just have to settle for this image I found on google:

The Imperial State Crown, containing over 3,000 precious stones and a 317 carat diamond

I am currently trying to fight off a cold, so it's off to bed early to rest up before class in the morning. No, I'm not going to sleep at 5:30 PM; don't forget that I'm 5 hours ahead here ;)

Side note: I'm starting to plan my travels around Europe. I have a few definite locations in mind, but does anyone have any recommendations for specific cities?