Jolly Old England, Part 3
Recently, my wife and I ventured to London, England, for a two-week trip to see the old country and take in the sights. She’s been to London before, but I’d never been, and it was a real treat to go stomping around the capital of the UK for an extended stay. Thanks ahead of time for tagging along on our wee adventure!
Last time I shared stories and tidbits about our trip—and a bunch of photos from our first three days. Days 1 and 2 were our travel and arrival days, and Day 3 we spent exploring downtown, including Buckingham Palace, Parliament and Trafalgar Square. So much fun! I hope you like London and the English “vibe,” and if you don’t, you might by the end of this multi-part travel extravaganza.
The Tower and the Jewels
Day 4 was a Friday and we headed out early to see a location I’d been eagerly anticipating – the Tower of London. After taking the Tube, we arrived on a hill overlooking the Tower of London and a remaining portion of the London Wall, which originally protected the city. And the hill we were on? We found out later that this is where they used to hold many public executions. Oh goody!
Tower of London
We headed down the hill and into the Tower, joining a tour group and starting our guided tour of one of the most iconic sites in all of London. Our Beefeater (yes, that’s what they’re called but no one knows why for certain) walked us through the castle, showing us the Traitor’s Gate, the central castle, locations where people had been executed, and even the Tower Ravens. It’s said that if the ravens ever leave the Tower, the British monarchy will fall. I was surprised at just how large the interior spaces of the Tower of London are – it is really like a small, walled-off city.
Tower of London Guided Tour
Next, we headed off on our own to explore the interior buildings, including the massive middle castle, the separate ornate building that holds England’s Crown Jewels (they were beautiful and under heavy guard), and an area that described all the torture that took place in the tower dungeons. No thanks!
Downtown London
After leaving the Tower, we walked along the Thames, heading east. I had a list of fun little locations to explore – I’m a big fan of Atlas Obscura, and it led us directly to several obscure tourist sites, including the ruins of St. Dunstan in the East, an old abandoned church that had been partly destroyed during the Blitz, and the tall Monument to the Great Fire of London, which destroyed much of downtown London in 1666.
St. Dunstan in the East
Leadenhall Market
Heading north, we wandered the narrow alleys as I searched for a particular location. We finally found Leadenhall Market, a covered market and one of the oldest in London, dating from the 14th century. According to Wikipedia, “the ornate roof structure, painted green, maroon and cream, and cobbled floors of the current structure, designed in 1881 by Sir Horace Jones, make Leadenhall Market a tourist attraction.
When I got home, I looked it up on Wikipedia and found this beautiful illustration of what the Leadenhall Market looked like in 1881 – pretty close to what it looks like today!!!
“Hello, Harry!”
We walked through Leadenhall Market for a few minutes, exploring it before finally finding what we had been looking for: the location where they filmed Diagon Alley in the Harry Potter movies. This blue door served as the front door for the Leaky Cauldron, a famous fictional pub located in Diagon Alley in the Harry Potter universe. They had the door marked with photos from the movies.
Diagon Alley and Entrance to the Leaky Cauldron
Gargoyles and the first Coffee House
Back out on the street, we continued exploring, looking for more sites from Atlas Obscura. We headed north and turned on Cornhill, finding the famous Cornhill Devils, a series of scary sculptures that look down on the city from above. And nearby we found the “London’s Original and All-Inspiring Coffee House,” the first coffee house in London. It’s located in St Michael's Alley off Cornhill (behind a church) and was established in 1652. I wonder if they had Frappuccinos back then? This location is now known as the Jamaica Wine House, but there’s a plaque on the wall outside marking its coffee origins.
London’s Original and All-Inspiring Coffee House
Lastly, we walked down Old Lombard Street and enjoyed the few remaining metal signs—the whole street used to be decorated with these extravagant metal street signs meant to advertise stores and shops along London’s version of Wall Street and the center of London’s historic banking district. Some used to be made out of stone but we removed when they became a danger to the pedestrians below.
Burritos and “Elizabeth”
Back at the Airbnb, Sam and I were tired, so we ordered Mexican food (yes, they have Mexican food in England) and watched Elizabeth, a truly mediocre film starring Kate Blanchett. It’s supposed to be about Queen Elizabeth 1, but it was mostly about her romances and her gaggle of ladies in waiting. They mostly seemed to giggle throughout the film, which left me with more questions than answers.
Thanks for tagging along on my trip to London. More soon!
