17 Days to Go: Tower of London

2/18 : Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress

More commonly referred to as The Tower of London, this incredible castle HAD to be on my countdown. The 948 year history of The Tower is INCREDIBLE. Yup, that's right, standing strong since 1066.

From Kings and Queens, to criminals and animals; this incredible fortress has been home to the most powerful monarchs in the world as well as a prison for the treasonous and even a zoo for polar bears, leopards, and elephants!

 Now-a-days, The Tower is one of the most popular tourist attractions in England since is opened to the public in 2006. Not to say that tourists weren't visiting before that. The Crown Jewels have been on display since the 1600's! Honestly, who doesn't want to see the Crown Jewels? Just resist the urge to steal them.

Then there are the ravens. I remember learning about the Ravens of the Tower of London in high school and wondering if it was really real. For those of you who don't remember high school, a superstition holds that "If the Tower of London ravens are lost or fly away, the Crown will fall and Britain with it." Like most superstitions, nobody knows when or how is started, but you can rest assured there will always be at least 6 ravens at the Tower of London.

So, that's the ravens, the crown jewels, and perhaps a ghost?

The Tower of London is quite infamous for beheadings of royals and nobles and prisoners alike. Truthfully, most of that stigma comes from books and movies, but it did happen. So it stands that the Tower could indeed be haunted by the many spirits who lived and died there, the most famous haunting spirit being the beheaded Anne Boleyn. Night guards have reported many apparitions since the early 1800's.

But, since I won't be there at night, I won't get experience that part of the Tower. (I don't do well with that kind of stuff anyway!)

Sure, it's touristy and probably insanely busy, but I wouldn't dream of missing The Tower of London while I'm there!

~Jamie