We have a 21 year old!! WHAT!

It’s Aspen’s birthday!  I woke up several times during the night thinking about it!  It never crossed my mind along the way that I would not be with one of my kids on their birthday!  Again, they grow up and Mamas have to adjust.  Before leaving the hotel, we sang a birthday audio memo to send since it’s only 4AM in Kennesaw, GA.  We will talk later on!  

Absolutely no idea what this is but interestingly irresistible for a photo!  

First stop this morning was the Tower of London tour with a Beefeater.  It really was a fantastic history lesson/reminder.  The one surprising thing to us was that they Beefeater lives in the tower outer walls.  I don’t know if they all do but many do.  They also have to serve in the Royal military for over 22 years before they are even open to opportunity in that role.  Another interesting tidbit was that there are six raven living in the tower freely but they do not leave.  It is legend that if the raven leave, the White Tower will crumble and the Monarchy falls.  Over the thousand years, the Tower was used in many different ways from soldiers quarters to living royal living quarters and social arena.  The Crown Jewels have been securely stored in the Tower since the 1300s.   Currently, the Constable, leader of the Kings military, lives at the Tower and he is the only person who has complete anytime access to the King.  Sir Issac Newton once lived in the tower.  Sir Walter Raleigh was imprisoned in the tower for 13 years along with his wife.  (The prisoners would be sent by boat up the Thames River after the judicial decision whether a person would die or be imprisoned.  The guard on the boat would hold the ax one direction or the other as they went up the river which alerted people to the decision.) Eventually they did behead Walter Raleigh and evidently his wife loved him so much that she boiled his head and carried it around in a bag for the rest of her life.  Most of the guilty were beheaded on Tower Hill up the hill from the Tower but Henry VIII’s wives and a few others were executed on the Tower green inside the walls.  John and Carter spent a lot of time viewing all of the armor from Kings of the past, including their horse’s armor.  Needless to say, this was a worthwhile visit.   Rarity to study this much detail or will this be a pattern?! 

                                                    The reality of what's happening half our day!! 

The Tower tour evidently left us very hungry for lunch and since breakfast I had not been able to stop thinking of fish and chips!  That isn’t even my normal type of food!  It didn’t take much to convince everyone else so we crossed back over the Thames to the Borough Market again.  The ‘award winning’ FISH! did not disappoint.  We also didn’t pass up a few treats – Carter in particular wanted a cookie as big as his face and sour gummies.  The market is happening EVERY DAY and is so amazing!  I wish we had markets like this at home!

CHEESE!  Mushroom, I didn't know they made starfruit so big or pineapple so small!  Space was quite limited so we did what we must to fill our hunger!

After lunch, we continued our river walk past the Globe Theater.  In the co-op the kids and I did this year, they read “A Mid Summer Nights Dream” which happened to be one of the currently showings at the Globe!   It was so fun to see it in person!  We were also able to see a bit of staging going on outside the theater.  Some actors climbed into a wooden boat on a rolling stand and were wheeled onto the set.  Years ago when Parker was studying Shakespeare he put together a paper puzzle globe that turned out so cool!  The next stop was the Millennium Bridge.  We were counting on Doc Oc not showing up to toss us into the Thames!   Straight across the bridge and up a hill is St. Paul’s cathedral.  Though we did not go inside, we definitely walked that direction to take in the architecture!  From there, we went underground two stops one direction and two stops another direction to Piccadilly Circle.  Unfortunately, just at the top of the stairs exiting the tube was an athletic shoe store!  Carter was broken hearted because he found the shoes he wants but our carry-on only luggage doesn’t allow space for another pair of shoes!  Last historical stop was Trafalgar Square.  

It’s really pretty but I think we were a little over stimulated so after resting our feet a while and people watching we headed back to the underground.  Another train change took us back to London Bridge station where we arrived yesterday morning.  One last stop walking back to the hotel allowed us to pick up a beautiful charcuterie dinner from the B Street Deli we loved so much last night.  Beautiful because GraceLin took the time to present!  I think she will be proud of me for adding this food photo!