Tower of London

What a magnificient historical palace. There is so much to see and learn about this palace which dates back to 1078.

So much gruesome history which many of know about the beheading of queens such as Anne Boleyn. Strange standing in the spots where these people’s lives came to a tragic end.

The Crown Jewels are the highlight. What amazing jewels and unfortunately you cannot photograph them but this is a link to what you see. Crown Jewels. The diamonds are so big they look fake. The collection is valued at around 5 billion pounds ($AUD9 billion). The sceptre diamond on its own is worth 400million pounds ($AUD700 million)

You must do the tour with one of the Beefeaters or Yeoman Warders of the Tower of London. Did you know that to be a Beefeater you have to have served at least  22 years in the armed forces, be a former warrant officer or senior non commissioned, plus hold the Long Service and Good Conduct medal and when accepted the whole family lives in the grounds of the Tower of London! Clive was our tour guide. Very entertaining but he is not “just” a tour guide. This is a part of the role of a Beefeater.

The moat around the Tower of London is being prepared for a sea of flowers, well 20 million seeds will be planted, for the Superbloom Platinum Jubilee celebration.