I surprised myself with how early I awoke this morning, although that
ridiculously early sunrise may have had something to do with it (and maybe also
my excitement for the day.)
Breakfast at my accommodation is a humble offering of
cereals and toasts, but that is perfectly fine with me. I like boring – makes
choice easier. So, two slices of toast with strawberry jam and I’m off for the
day.
First stop was a little preview of the end of my stay in the UK - St Paul’s
Cathedral. It being a Sunday after all, I attended the Choral Mattins which is
essentially a sung service but with no communion (boo) and no sermon (yay). St
Paul’s is truly jaw dropping in its scale, art and architecture and I cannot
wait to come back at the end of my trip to give it a proper look over (it feels
disrespectful to spend the readings staring slack-jawed at the ceiling.)
The service itself, a snappy 35 minutes, was delightful with excellent singing
(and when we had to join in, I even knew the hymn like I’m not some sort of
heathen.) Afterwards, I prowled the area and found, to no surprise, a café. The
Google review of Paul’s (ha!) said it had an excellent hot chocolate and they
were not liars. The apple turnover was also excellent, although I personally
prefer chunkier apples in mine.
I umm’d and err’d over my next step for the day, as I didn’t
have anything planned til 1pm, but I was also concerned of committing to
something and running overtime. So, in the end, I opted to head for the Tower
of London and pick up some food on the way, rather than going to climb the
Monument for the Fire of London, that could wait for another day. And lucky I
made that choice, because whilst checking to see if I could do it on my way
back the website told me that it was closed for visitors today.
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On my way to the train station, I found an imposter
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Getting off the train at Tower Hill, I found what has to be
the world’s most useless Sundial and a couple of pubs. I’m sure they’re
terribly tourist trappy (one was a Wetherspoons) but I decided to have a
traditional Sunday roast and enjoyed for beef, vege and a Yorkshire pudding.
I’m not sure if I just had a bad one, but the pudding was pretty tasteless
(although lovely and flaky) and just seems to be a socially acceptable way to
mop up excess gravy and eat it. I’m a fan of the concept nonetheless.
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| I mean seriously, how could it ever cast a shadow? |
The website for Tower of London says three hours for a
visit, but I could have easily spent five. I got kicked out by the end of it
and I missed a couple of sections (and didn’t read every single thing either).
I first enjoyed a tour of the fortress by the Yeoman, who was both
knowledgeable and hilarious. Then it became a checklist exercise in seeing
everything. The Crown Jewels were spectacular – I had never imagined a diamond
could be so large and so shiny! And the armour showcased in the White Tower
(the original Tower of London built in 1078 but William the Conqueror) was also
fascinating.
It's really interesting that the Yeoman, who have each
served an unblemished minimum of 22 years in the military, live at the Tower
with their families. I cannot imagine living not only in such a historical
landmark, but also somewhere where torture, imprisonment and beheadings took
place.
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Traitor's Gate, where those who came to the Tower before execution (like Anne Boleyn) entered the fortress through
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Whilst I was inside one of the Tower's many buildings, Tower Bridge opened
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My favourite part, which is probably very common, were the
Ravens. By law, six must be kept on site at all times and they currently have
seven. Whilst they sometimes engaged in less socially acceptable endeavours,
such as rifling through the bins, they certainly drew attention to themselves
as the majestic guardians of the tower and they didn’t mind all the tourists
either.
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| This raven didn't care if people went right up to it for photos or walked past down the stairs |
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| Some more ravens they kept in the basement |
After
being kicked out of the Tower at closing time, I headed across town to the
London Palladium for what may very well be the highlight of my trip. Barry
Manilow, live in concert! Putting on his farewell UK show (although he did say
at the end that all he’s doing is no longer touring and he’ll be back, so this
is seeming very John Farnham to me). I have been looking forward to this
concert ever since I bought the ticket over Christmas.
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| I may not quite be the target demographic here |
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Proof of life
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And it was amazing. Whilst I struggled at times to see
because I had a tall gentleman in front of me (and when people stood up to
dance you had to stand to have a chance of seeing anything), Barry knows how to
put on a show. He changed jacket between just about every song. It reminded me
of an oversized RSL gig with the demographic of the audience (drunk, older
women screaming “I love you Barry” at any opportunity.) Barry Manilow was
funny, declared that he was “still a sex god” before pelvic thrusting and then
pretending to have put his back out. My only real disappointment was his set
list missed Weekend in New England and Looks like We Made It, which are two of my
personal favourites – but he could sing all night if he had to sing all the
hits.
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He certainly made a better door than a window
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| But look around him, and you could definitely enjoy the sparkle and fun |
