The HMS Belfast tour is also included in the London Pass.
HMS Belfast was one of Britain’s battleship in World War II. It is now a floating naval museum. It portrays life on board during World War II.
HMS Belfast was built in 1937. There are 9 decks all together. It was manned by 800 seamen.
This is a self guided tour with audio guide. (more…)
After the visit to the Tower of London, we decided to use the ticket in the London Pass to visit the Tower Bridge Exhibition.
It was a rainy day as you can see the bridge was wet.
Lining up for the lift to the exhibition. It’s 300 steps to the the top of the towers. We walked down the stairs after visiting the exhibitions on the walkways.
The east side of the bridge exhibits the bridge’s history and displays of famous bridges in the world. The west side of the bridge has exhibits of the Olympics. (more…)
The Bloody Tower.
Legend has it that two boy princes, sons and heirs of Edward IV were placed in this tower by their uncle, Richard of Gloucester, when their father died in 1483. Neither was seen again and Richard was crowned later that year. The skeletons of two children were found nearby in 1674.
Remnants of the old wall.
The view of the main entrance to The Tower of London from the outside perimeter. (more…)
Our next stop was The Armoury Museum in The White Tower.
The sword is at least 7 to 8 feet long.
Even the horse was wearing an armour.
A parade of horses. (more…)
Here’s an outer view of The White Tower.
The White Tower was the tallest building in London when completed construction in c. 1097. It is 90 feet high.
Old and new architectures.
A view from high above. (more…)
Our first stop was the St. John’s Chapel in The White Tower.
St. John’s Chapel is the oldest church in London, built in the 11th century. The stone was brought in from France. We joined a guided tour of the chapel but not photography is allowed in the chapel.
From the guided tour, we learned that the Olympic medals were stored in The Tower of London for safe keeping before the game. We also learned that the royal toilet is called guardrobe because the king or queen will hang their robe at the door of the toilet before using the toilet.
The Tower was a royal residence. The Medieval Palace showcases rich colours and comfortable furnishings, including a replica of Edward 1’s bed.
A wider view of the royal household. The massive fireplaces kept this cold stone palace cozy.
A replica of the throne room.
We took a cab from the Sheraton Skyline (which is in the Heathrow Airport vicinity) to the City Hotel (near Brick Lane). The cab ride cost 45 pounds. After checked in, we ventured out for our first full day adventure. The tube station near our hotel was closed for maintenance on that Saturday. So, we decided to walk to the Tower London since it’s within walking distance.
We bought the 6 Day London Pass for 92 pounds per person for this vacation. It is definitely worth its value compare to the entrances that we have to pay for popular attractions.
It was a very busy day. There were a lot of tourists visiting the Tower London. The tourists were waiting on the draw bridge at the entrance gate for the guided tour.
Ben snapped a few photos while waiting for the guided tour.
The map of Tower of London. (more…)
We had breakfast at the Sheraton Skyline before we checked out. We had reserved a room in a hotel nearer to the city center for convenient commute to the touristy attractions.
I had coffee while Ben had tea. Ben enjoyed his English tea here.
A typical English breakfast with baked beans, bacon, mushrooms, tomatoes, sausage, eggs and hash browns. I like the bacon here.
My pastries plate. Got to try Marmite on toast. (more…)
Ben wanted to give me a glimpse of the iconic London attractions on the first day.
After the Tower of London, Ben brought me to see the Tower Bridge. When I was young, the image of the bridge in the song “London Bridge is Falling Down” was the image of the Tower Bridge. Now I knew that London Bridge is another bridge which is a much plain looking bridge.
A boat passing under the Tower Bridge.
It was a cold and windy evening with a light drizzle. You can see from the photos that the sky was grey.
Walking across the Tower Bridge. (more…)
I arrived at Heathrow airport around 2PM. Ben picked me up and we took the hotel hoppa service to Sheraton Skyline. We dropped off my luggage and took a bus to a tube station and took the tube to the city of London. It was quite a long ride; it took more than an hour to get to the city.
Waiting for the train.
Arrived at the city of London.
My first view of the Tower of London. (more…)