Elmira College United Kingdom and Ireland 2013: Sunday, May 12th: Some of the Most Famous Sights of London

Hello everybody! Today was a day that was jam packed with adventures! We had a lot to do today, so after a quick breakfast at Regent's College, we headed off to explore London.

The first thing we did today was see the Tower of London! After a quick ride on the Tube, we arrived to our destination. The Tower is home to some of London's most iconic and historic artifacts, including the Crown Jewels. It is at the Tower of London where we saw many fascinating exhibits, including the Prisoners Exhibition, the White Tower, and the Royal Beasts Room. The Prisoner Exhibition showed onlookers the prison conditions of medieval England.

Graffiti on the wall of a cell

Walking through, we got to see torture devices and prison cells, such as the Rack and assorted shackles, as well as learn about many famous prisoners who were held at the Tower. The White Tower showcased one of history's greatest mysteries: who killed the Princes, the sons of Edward IV? Some speculate that the children, ages 12 and 9, went missing while other believe something more sinister happened. Most historians believe either Richard III or Henry VII killed them, to assure they would be closer in line to the throne. The exhibit showed facts about all three theories, and at the end of the tour, guests could vote on what they believed to be true. But the biggest attraction in the Tower of London had to be the Crown Jewels. Visitors were able to learn about the history of the Jewels, and see many different monarchs' crowns. They also had many other important royal objects, such as the Coronation Spoon (which is used to hold the oil for anointment during the ceremony), and the dishware used at the post-Coronation banquet. The exhibit was very well done, and it was awesome to be able to see such Queen Elizabeth II's crown, which is a big pop-culture icon in real life (Though sadly, pictures weren't allowed).

Ravens are extremely important to the Tower,
as there is a belief that when the Ravens fly away, the Tower will fall
So thus all the Ravens on the grounds have their wings clipped.

One of the most interesting things we learned at the Tower of London is the meaning behind the more updated British coins' backs. When you have just a pile of change in your hand, the backs of the coins seem like weird half-cut off pictures that make no sense. However, in one of the exhibits, they explained how when you put all of the coins together, the cut-off shapes make up the crest of the Royal Family.

After the class finished up at the Tower of London, we then went to walk the road along the River Thames. The river was beautiful, and as we learned in class, it once was a very important trading hub for England. The presents of the river helped London to modernize at the fast speed it did, and it was invaluable for both military and trade. After walking the Thames, the class decided to go look at the Tate Modern Museum for a few minutes, while we waited for our appointment to ride the London Eye. Although packed, The Tate Modern was a beautiful and unique art museum.

At 1:45, The class left the Tate Modern and we began out trek to see the London Eye. The walk only took a few minutes, and as we got to the Eye, we could see it was packed. The London Eye (or as we also learned, the Millenium Wheel), opened in 2000, and quickly became one of London's most known landmarks. The eye stands at about 410 feet tall, and on the ride you can see most of the famous sights in London. On our ride of the Eye, we had a tour guide to point out all of the sights, as well as give us more information on the Eye. The London Eye was one of the highlights of our trip, as the 45 minute ride was a new experience for most of the group, and it allowed for bonding time with the class. After we rode the Eye, it was time to head back to Regent's College. We took the tube home, and arrived just in time to get dinner at the refractory. Today was a stupendous day, and the memories we made will last a lifetime.