Fulfilling the dreams of my 14-year-old (and 20-year-old) self

My last full day (Halloween!) in London was probably the best. It was certainly the most full! Alex and I were up bright and early again. This morning we planned on going to the famous Abbey Road. Alex isn't the biggest Beatles fan, but who else has sat through the entire 12 hour documentary and wrote a 10 page paper on the history of the band? Just me? That's what I thought.

There was a lot of construction on the Underground while we were in London, but it happens on weekends. Because of this, the line that we needed to take to get anywhere near the spot was closed. As a replacement, the city was running double-decker buses! It was really nice that I got to go on one free!


It was drizzling on the bus, but when we got off it stopped. We walked a few blocks over and finally saw it!

It took probably about twenty minutes to get a good photo. Cars/people kept getting in the way. I wonder how it must feel to live around there. I bet the tourists are annoying. I certainly was.


Alex acted as my photographer so that I could get the perfect shot.

Abbey Road is the site of Apple Records, an unmarked white building where most of the Beatles' later work was recorded.

After getting my fill and reflecting on how the beauty that was George Harrison once walked that same pavement (well, not really. It's probably been re-tarred.), We hopped back on another bus to head to another magical place.

Yeah, that's right. King's Cross.

For those of you who don't know, King's Cross is the train station in Harry Potter from which Harry leaves for Hogwarts. J.K. Rowling wrote it that way because her parents met on a train coming into King's Cross, so she said it was always magical for her. Awwww.

I was grinning like a fool. I went in search of Platform 9 3/4.

I was also thinking about one of the end scenes in the final book where Harry thinks he is in King's Cross...

Unfortunately, Platforms 9 and 10 were under construction, so they moved the "barrier" to another place.

But we found it! Amazing!

It was Halloween, so I was hoping that something magical would happen, and the barrier would be real. Oh well. I guess I am a muggle.


It's okay being a muggle though.

Alex tried next. I told him that if he actually made it through the barrier, I would break-up with him. I would be that upset that he was a wizard and never told me.

Lucky for him (and me), he didn't make it either.





After a quick lunch, we took the Tube across London to go see the Tower. We had to walk kind-of far because of the construction. This is the view of the Tower Bridge from on London Bridge:

By the time we got to the Tower, it had cleared up. We were excited. I had no idea what to expect.


Right when we walked in, we saw the Bloody Tower. If you have read Richard III, you know that the Princes are murdered here. The story goes that Edward was 11 when he became king. His uncle, Richard III had him and his younger brother murdered in this tower so that he could be king instead. Dramatic.

Supplementary history beyond what I know from Shakespeare was provided by this hilarious Beefeater. He played up the spooky aspect of the tower because it was Halloween, and generally said funny things.

Traitor's gate was where all the prisoner's entered by ship:



The White Tower (the oldest one, from the 12th century or something) was in the middle:

Soldiers were patrolling here too:

Inside this building, you see the crown jewels. You can't take pictures though. Everything in there was pretty impressive.

I thought it was ironic that on the alleged spot where people were executed, this sculpture now sits. Get it, a pillow for their head to lie on? (In case you're forgetting, their heads were chopped off.)

These were the Queen's apartments. She can live here still if she wants!

My favorite is the myth that as long as ravens live at the Tower, England will live on. Just because of that, they have a raven-keeper who makes sure that they stay there.






Up on the wall, I got a much better view of the Tower Bridge





Oh no! My head is getting chopped off!

Alex is apparently some sort of prisoner.

We left the Tower and found a nice family to take our picture for us.


We went to see St. Paul's Cathedral. It is HUGE.

You're not supposed to take pictures inside. I'm a rebel though.

This was the church where Charles and Diana were married. It is also in a really beautiful picture after the Battle of Britain where London is full of black smoke.


Alex and I made a quick stop at Harrod's because I guess they have a book shop there! I found a few books that I wanted, but wouldn't get the third until the next day. I liked the lights a lot!

Alex and I went to a restaurant called Frontline(s) for dinner. It was right next to our hotel and it looked really good. It was. I had beef and hashbrowns with creamed cabbage and boiled kale. Alex had wild hare pie. For dessert, chocolate almond cake for Alex and a really nice lemon tart for me.

We finished off the night at a pub (apparently the second best one in London). It was really fun. I pretended I was in Shawn of the Dead. It really did remind me of the Winchester! Everyone was in costume (I was a wizard expertly dressed as a muggle). There was a guy who was playing the guitar and singing, then he picked up a banjo and everyone sang along to Irish drinking songs (except me, I don't know the words.)!

I would leave the next day, but it was an amazing final night in London!