Get a late start out to the Tower of London, but Ginger gets me in free and gives me a short walkabout tour before taking off to do his own errands. I joined in on the Yeoman Warder tour. It's very bawdy and entertaining, but the time is so short that I cut out to see my main haighlights.
The Crown Jewels are absolutely spectacular. It is difficult to contemplate so much wealth in such a small part of the world. Reaffirm that I like diamonds best. They are the most brilliant jewels, and the combination of their clear brilliance and hearts of fire make me love them despite their troubled history and present politicking. I double back just for the pleasure of seeing them again.
Go to view a skit of the trial of Judge Jeffries. I take the part of a revolutionary. It reminds me of Renaissance Faire ... but less bawdy and with less cleavage on display. How I love costumes!
I skim through White Tower, the Bloody Tower, the ravens with the clipped wings, pass by the historically questionable beheading sit, Traitor's (Trader's) Gate, and the Outer and Inner Curtains. I would have liked to enter Bell Tower, where Sir Thomas Moore was kept, but it isn't open to mere mortals such as myself. Overall, the displays are well done, especially those in White Tower, which invite all kinds of interaction.
I leave the Tower and hurry to the Tower Hill Station. To my dismay, it is closed. Some joker pulled a fire alarm and it's out of business! So, I walked all the way back to Aldgate East. I stressed the whole way ... even more when I had to take an underground crossing, only to find that the pathway to the station was blocked off! I was absoultey convinced that I wasn't going to make it. I think I ran the last little way, which for me is generally unthinkable. And yet, I did. And I made it. And all was right with the world.
Got out to Bristol, and Cogie Bear came to pick me up. He and J were having dinner at a friend's house, in anticipation of their move back to ireland. I didn't want to barge in, but G was just as friendly as can be, and I felt right at home. Cogie is the quintiscential Irishman. He's brash and witty and fun. It doesn't hurt that he's got a mind like a steel trap, and is always on the go. He just has such an upbeat, attractive personality. J is the straightman of the couple, but they compliment each other perfectly. G is a friend that used to live with C before his marriage. G works for Dyson, which makes the best hand driers in the world. Really, after drying my hands on roller machines with non-disposable cloths inside, I was missing the Dyson driers!
After some apple crumble (with pudding from a can), we took a drive to see some views, walk across the oldest functioning suspension bridge, and to walk about the waterfront of Bristol. I was telling them that I wished I could have seen some of Banksy's work in London, when G told me to look out the window of the car, and there was one of Banksy's pieces! How fortuitous. Of his outdoor work online, I liked the bush sprouting the video camera, and the huge yellow flower best.
As we were walking about the waterfront, C & G got into a groove, and had me laughing hard at their hillarity. Turns out that G has done some lindy. He seems like the type to try almost anything, especially if it's adventurous. We talk about dancing and bond.
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