Our first full day started normally with our inaugural search for coffee which led us to a small coffee roaster in the heart of London called Rosslyn Coffee. Armed with our daily cup of caffeine, we headed to the Tower of London, for our first half a day tour.

The Tower of London

Also set right in the heart of the city, adjacent to the Thames, the Tower of London is a fortified castle that was originally built by William the Conquerer in 1078 when his men built the white tower, which sits prominently in the center of the castle and was the center of the British Empire for centuries. Prisoners were held and tortured here, executions were…umm…executed (sorry) within its walls, an entire section was dedicated to the Royal Menagerie, a collection of exotic animals like lions, elephants and tigers, and it even held the Royal Mint up until the late 1960s. Most notably however, the Tower of London is the home to the Crown Jewels. This collection of jewels includes the crowns of past kings and queens, solid gold coronation spoons, punch bowls and serving platters all used at one time or the other during royal events. Most recently, it holds King Charles III’s crown, sceptre, orb and stole that was all used during his coronation ceremony last year. Unfortunately, this room didn’t allow for photographs so here’s Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation photo instead, which does include her crown, sceptre, orb and stole that we also saw at the Tower of London.

The Crown Jewels were definitely the highlight of the site but there were tons of other sections to explore, so much in fact we spent nearly four hours there. We wondered through the bowels of White Tower, home to the Royal Armories which proved itself with its intensive collection of cannons, mortars, knight armor, spears, bows and the tournament armor of Charles I and James II. We ventured through Beauchamp tower where prisoners were kept and tortured and through Lower Wakefield Tower which included recreations of the various torture methods that were used. To end cap our visit, we saw the memorial of Anne Boleyn, which was instilled after a visit from Queen Elizabeth who was so inspired by her story, instructed a memorial to be created for her. Descendents of the Boleyn family place flowers on this site on the anniversary of her death to this very day. For those who don’t know, Anne Boleyn was the second wife of King Henry VIII and queen of England in the early 16th century. Her husband charged her for adultery, incest and plotting to kill the king but historians and herself all proclaim her innocence. She was beheaded just four days after her conviction at the site the memorial occupies. The Tower of London could be explored for days as it’s inclusive of a large part of British history with endless tours for learn more. Much like Buckingham Palace, a stop here isn’t complete without careful contemplation of shenanigans as you walk past the guards.

Central London

Central London contains a number of different sights that we were able to explore as we made our way back to our hotel in Westminster. Our first stop was Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, accessible via the Millenium Pedestrian Bridge. Shakespeare’s Globe is the third iteration of the theatre and a reproduction of the original Globe that was built in 1599 but closed in the early 17th century. This version was completed in 1997 and is the epicenter for all things related to The Bard. Tour of the theatre are daily and performances of his plays occur every weekend. Of course, since we visited in February, the 2 degree Celsius, rainy weather wasn’t quite ripe for an outdoor show but their gift shop was.

In order to stay out of the rain and to warm up (much like what we did during the German Christmas Markets), we would often jump between outdoor sights and indoor business with one of those businesses being Harrods of London. During our first visit, we went through Selfridges, another London staple, which is laid out like a typical department store with a focus on higher end brands. We were expecting something similar with Harrods however when we entered, it was unlike any store we’ve visited. Inside its sprawling compound is six levels, each a football field long with completely compartmentalized departments, connected via walkways and central escalators. We walked in via one of the ground floor entrances, pleasantly greeted by the chocolate room, which bore the Harrods brand on all of its handmade chocolate. As we we’ve through the labyrinth of rooms, we came upon any department store desire ranging from perfumes, mens/womens formal wear, a bookstore, luxury pens, film memorabilia (including an 8000 pound Skyfall poster signed by Daniel Craig), no less than five restaurants and a technology section reminiscent of Nebraska Furniture Mart. Our main objective was the experience of Harrods but we were actively looking for clothes for an upcoming wedding but unfortunately came out empty handed.

The West End

We began planning this trip in November, shortly after I was rejected for a part in the Premier’s run of The Glass Menagerie and given my recent revived participation in the local theatre scene, seeing a show in London’s West End (London’s equivalent of Broadway) was a must. What better way to experience British culture than by seeing the longest running British comedy in the West End, The Play That Goes Wrong.

The show revolves around an amateur college theatre company attempting to put on a murder mystery but personifying Murphy’s law, nearly every possible thing that can go wrong in a theatre production, does. From characters forgetting lines, to erratic entrances, prop and tech mishaps and finally with the entire set being destroyed. As an amateur actor myself, I can relate to how hard it is to act like a terrible actor while simultaneously performing actions and blocking that are correct but need to appear wrong. All in all it was an absolutely incredible production by the entire cast and crew and a great show to pop our proverbial West End cherry.

Travel/Post Details:

• Post inclusive of travel from February 23-24
• Accommodation:
  • February 23 – Hub by Premier Westminster
  • February 24 – Assembly at Covent Garden
• Featured Image: Tower Bridge, artfully taken by Lauren
• We also stopped for coffee at Wren on Feb 23. Super cool coffee shop housed in an old Catholic Church
• Our hotel in Covent Garden was in the heart of the West End, walking distance to Trafalgar Square and to all of the popular theatres with every show imaginable. Some including: Mamma Mia!, Frozen, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Mrs Doubtfire, Wicked, The Book of Morman Les Miserables and Hamilton.
• Dining:
  • February 23 – Churchill Arms for dinner. A Thai place that’s connected to a pub with a Winston Churchill theme. Odd, yes but the food was delicious and the bar had a great atmosphere. I had my first London Pride here, the city’s ubiquitous lager.
  • February 24 –
    • We inadvertently had brunch at the coffee shop Notes. We came in for coffee but were directed to a table with a full breakfast menu. This gave us an opportunity to try something different and Lauren had porridge and I had smashed avocado on toast with a puréed beet spread.
    • We had a liner/lupper at Stack and Still. A two story place in Soho serving nothing but different varieties of pancakes. I had protein packed ones with yogurt and fruit while Lauren had buttermilk with spiced poached pears and mascarpone.
• For The Play That Goes Wrong, we opted for the “Crisis” ticket package that included two drinks, programs and scripts for the show and were third row, center on the floor.