Borough Market and Tower of London

Hello All!

While most of my friends were in class yesterday, I journeyed out to undiscovered territory: South London.  It's a little bit quieter on the south side of the River Thames, but definitely has a lot to see.

My first stop was Borough Market, an outdoor farmer's market.  The free samples in this place put those at Whole Foods to shame!  The most popular items to try were cheeses, olive oils, and truffle oils.  One vendor was even selling whole truffles .... starting at £74 each!  That's something like $120 for a mushroom the size of a golf ball.  And, to tell you the truth, I didn't really care for the truffle oils I tried. Other sample items included various meats, shell fish, and sweets.  A very popular station was the "exotic fish and meats" stand, which had things like puffer fish, blue lobsters, rabbits (hanging from their feet), and other strange items.  Mostly people were just taking pictures of the goods rather than making purchases.

Just across the street from Borough Market is another outdoor to-do called Green Market, which had more affordable items.  I instantly fell in love the second I walked in because a man at the first booth held out a tray and said "would you like to sample our caramel fudge?"  WOULD I?  What kind of question is that?  Needless to say, it was delicious.  Green Market had a number of sweets booths, but I really liked sampling the homemade jams, applesauces, and spreads!  There were also places to buy meals.  Of course, when I saw falafel stands, I knew it was going to be a hit or miss; one vendor was French, another English, and the last Jordanian.  The choice was clear and it was very tasty!

The Tower of London

When I finally pulled myself away from all the food, I walked east along the River Thames and crossed to the north side via Tower Bridge (the one that everyone mistakes as London Bridge - see my Touring the Thames post), and found myself at the Tower of London.  The Tower of London is like a small walled-city, which is why I call it Tower City.  It was built by our friend Henry VIII, and had a few important functions.  It was the first defense (or "defence," as the Brits spell it) of London - it's right on the river (it even used to have a mote!) - it housed prisoners awaiting execution on Tower Hill, it is the residence of the Queen (apparent by the red guard out front - I'm not sure if she lives primarily at Buckingham or if Tower Green is her everyday residence), and home of England's Crown Jewels when they're not being used.

Queen's residence, Tower Green (blue door on far right)

During my tour, the guide mentioned that William Penn was held in the Tower of London before he was banished from England.  When he asked if there were any Americans from Pennsylvania present, I shot my hand in the air.  He peered at me and said, "you know you're founding father was a criminal, right?"  To which I replied, "well, if you say so!"

Other than a mass grave for run-of-the-mill traitors and heretics, the Tower of London is also the burial site of Sir Thomas Moore, as well as three of Henry VIII's six wives: Anne Boleyn, Lady Jane Seymour, and Lady Kathryn Howard.  Every person buried at the Tower of London was executed, which is why most of the skeletons are missing a head.  After decapitation on Tower Hill, traitors' heads were strung up on Tower Bridge for the birds to eat.

The White Tower

The White Tower (left) is officially a Royal Palace, but is no longer used as a Royal residence.  The Royals lived on the top floor, the next floor down has State Rooms (spaces for entertaining guests), the first floor houses kitchens and food storage, and the basement was the location of prisoner torture and interrogation.  Lovely!

The Crown Jewels were my last stop.  There are some beautiful pieces in there!  The Sovereign's Sceptre, held along with the orb during coronation, contains the world's largest cut diamond: 530 carats!  That's about the size of your fist.  The other large diamond in the collection is a mere 105 carats, and is set in Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother's crown (the Queen Mother was Elizabeth II's mother, married to King George VI).  Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take any pictures of the Crown Jewels ... something to do with Crown Copyright.

The day was a real success.  I brought my umbrella because the British weather people told me to, but it ended up being sunny with really awesome-looking clouds - check out the pictures!

Cheerio!