Tower Bridge & Tower of London

Today was our first full day in London. We kicked things off by waking up early at 7am and taking advantage of the free breakfast provided by the hostel. First on our list was the Tower of London.

We wanted to get there right when it opened so we could have the best chance of beating the crowds. Turns out this time coincided with the morning rush hour on the Tube. We most certainly looked like confused tourists, but we eventually found our way amidst the hustle and bustle.

The Tower of London has some pretty incredible history. It’s construction has been dated back to 1066 AD. Nowadays it is a huge tourist attraction that allows guests to roam its halls containing royal living quarters, old prisons, torture chambers, an armory, and of course the precious crown jewels.

When we got there we headed straight for the crown jewels, to avoid the crowds. Unfortunately they did not permit picture/video in the vault, but it was pretty incredible to see and learn the history behind these precious ceremonial treasures.

Some of our favorites:

• The Sovereign’s Sceptre - Used in every coronation since 1661. The diamond in the center is a whopping 530.2 carats
• A “Coronation Spoon” dating back to 1349. It is the oldest crown jewel that has been preserved
• Giant gold punch bowl made of solid gold that could hold 144 bottles of wine

We also got to browse some of the old armour and weapons in the White Tower. This is the tower located in the middle of the compound.

Once we had our fill, we made our way across the Tower Bridge. We we not super happy with the lighting for pictures so we decided to go off the beaten path a bit to capture just the right shot.

After that we were pretty hungry, and thankfully we stumbled upon a brew pub nestled away underneath the bridge. We stopped for a quick bite and a pint of course.

Next on our list was the Sky Garden observatory located on the top floor of the 20 Fenchurch Street building, a skyscraper in downtown London. Once we got to the top, we were surprised to find a full bar, cafe, restaurant, and lounge area. We got some great photos of the city, and got to relax for a bit after a busy day.

For dinner we had one spot on our list that we were excited to check out. It was an urban street food joint called Dinnerama. The venue was super cool and made of old shipping crates, oil barrels, and trailers. We got to sample a lot of different foods and beer. As the night went on many of the local young professionals (all dressed up in suite and tie) came to unwind after work. It was cool to see so much energy in the city on a Thursday night.

We then hopped back on the subway to head home for the night and rest up for another action packed day tomorrow.