Shakespeare and Starbucks (And Tower of London, too!)

Hello everyone. I promised pictures of Southwark and the Tower of London, and so I deliver. Just a little geography and history for everyone: Southwark is on the south bank of the Thames, across from the City of London, and it was famous in Shakespeare's day for its theatres and red light district. It is said to be the foil to the City of London's focus on work; people come to Southwark to unwind. I'll fill in the other parts of the history as we move on. (Remember, the captions are above)

The tour started in the City of London, at the site of the Blackfriar Church. I don't have any pictures (it's just a courtyard now anyways), so this first picture is the Thames from the north side, just before we crossed under it into Southwark. Look close to find the London Eye!

Ah, it was so satisfying to finally get a picture of the Globe. I won't have any pictures of the interior until next time, but for now just appreciate it for its round glory. Of course, this isn't where the original Globe stood...

This is where the original Globe stood, and we know this since they preserved the ferryman's seat from the original theatre. This is the seat the ferryman who got everyone across the Thames for the performance would use. It now sits on the side of a Starbucks. About twenty feet from another Starbucks. During the tour, I was thinking that people 1000 years from now will not understand archaelogical records when they find two Starbucks that close. They'll think we all had very short-term memories. Or maybe they'll read this blog, and discover that one lone, brave voice saw the strangeness of it.

This is the door into remains of the old Rose Theatre, a competitor of the Globe that had to shut down for that very reason. Christopher Marlowe's plays were often performed here. We couldn't go inside; you need very special permission.

Here is where the Globe would have stood. The sign on the ground says "The Globe," sorry I couldn't get the shine out of it. I don't know how to, and I probably needed extra equipment.

Here is a sign commemorating the Globe that you probably cannot read. My apologies.

Fun fact: this is the pub overlooking the Thames that they say Samuel Pepys sat in and watched the Great Fire of London. Whether or not he gave patronage to the prostites afterward is anyone's guess.

And this is a recreation of the ship (The Gilded Lady, I think) that Drake sailed in...around the world, I think. I'm sorry I'm so unclear, the group didn't stop here and I had to take a picture instead of read the sign.

Okay, here's where it gets serious. By viewing these pictures you are violating a thousand ancient Biblical laws. This is Southwark Cathedral, where Shakespeare is buried, and I found out after only two pictures that you need a permit to take pictures. Some guy in a funny outfit told me so; I think he may have been a monk. So these pictures are precious and should not be squandered.

I'm just warning you, this may be the like the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark. If you see these glorious works of God (without a permit), your face may melt off.

Because of the restriction of pictures, I couldn't take a picture of Shakespeare's tomb. There is a glorious stained glass window above that had all the important Shakespeare's characters. I don't have the energy to find a picture of it online, but I strongly suggest you look it up. There is a quote across the top from The Tempest that was wonderful. Look it up.

No permit needed for the outside, though, so look away. It was a nice day, though a little cold.

This is where we all had lunch, and where I finally had good fish and chips. The pub has been there since the 15th century, so I guess they had time to figure out how to do it right.

Okay, part two: Tower of London. I think everyone kind of knows the history of the Tower, so I don't need to go into it. Also, many of these pictures won't have captions since they don't really need any explanation. I will try to guide you through, however.

This is Watergate, or the Traitor's Gate, from the outside. I think I included this in my ferry pictures as well. Traitors were brought in through this gate and then beheaded. At high tide, the gate may have beheaded some of the taller prisoners itself.

Tower Bridge. I just like taking pictures of it, I guess.

White Tower. You will see it from many angles.

Pictured: my attempt at visual artistry

They had two helmets the guards would have worn displayed inside the Salt Tower (I checked, no Pepper Tower). It was smart of them to chain the helmets to the table, because if they didn't I would have stolen both in a hearbeat. No question.

Old and New London. In New London, they like to shape some buildings like bullets.

This was the exhibit in the White Tower. I'm pretty sure this is the same exhibit that was there four years ago when I visited. We couldn't take pictures inside, so this will have to do. Suffice it to say, Henry VIII required a lot of armor.

The Jewel Tower. It holds the Crown Jewels. I saw them, and they remained unchanged from the last time I saw them. Question: why is there a coronation spoon? Is there a coronation soup bowl? A coronation napkin? Some coronation crackers? A coronation mint? Okay, I'm done.

The Bloody Tower. And all that implies.

They played out the sentencing of Anne Bolyn. Spoiler alert: she's beheaded!

Okay, that's the Tower of London. At the point we had finished, we were exhausted, since we had been going since 9 and walking lots. However, before we left and went back I bought some presents for some little cousins o'mine. They will receive them soon!

Parliament tomorrow. Must rest. Night all.