Friday started early with breakfast at Sky Garden. I found the Sky Garden online looking for new things to do in London since we have done most of the big ticket places. It is was close to where our tour was starting so it made for a perfect place for breakfast.

Sky Garden is on the 35th floor of one of the modern buildings in the area of the Tower, Tower Bridge and St Paul’s. You could see them all from the windows and the outside viewing platform. Breakfast was good. Better than expected for such a touristy place but it was nice to enjoy the view of London while enjoying my morning tea.

The outside opened after breakfast so we went out for a few pictures. It was crazy windy and cold so we didn’t last long before we headed down. It was a nice stop and I would do it again for breakfast. By the time we left the line for the elevator was getting long. It would make a great place for evening drinks but the line is likely to be long. It is free to go up but they do require timed tickets to manage the crowd.

From breakfast we headed over across the Thames to meet up with Siobhan who was giving us a guided tour of the Southwark area. We walked down to cross the millennium bridge. Mother and I had crossed it back in 2002 to go to the Tate Modern Museum. It was our last night and one of my favorite memories of that trip. This trip it will stand out as well but for totally different reason.

As we crossed the bridge Val got a message from one of the women we had been traveling with informing us that she had tested positive for Covid that morning. This definitely put a damper on our day. We had another day in London before we needed to test for our return flight. But Val was really worried that we needed to test and get home before we tested positive. We did decide to continue on with our day but there was a little dark cloud on the day.

We met Siobhan through the tour. She works begins the scenes and does guest relations for Alison. She is also a historian and writer (I brought home two of her books) and works primarily at Hamptons Court but is a licensed tour guide. If going to London let me know and I can hook you up with her. She is amazing.

The first part of our day was Southwark which back in the 1500/1600 was the area for the average person and also where entertainment was available. The Globe theater was and is in that area a long with other medieval finds. We walked past the current Globe and then where the original was. One fact we learned about Shakespeare is that they did not create costumes but just wore clothes donated to the theater. So when you see a Shakespeare play in modern dress that is actually how they were originally performed. Shakespeare himself did not require authentic wardrobes.

We also saw the ruins of Winchester Palace home to the Bishop of Winchester. The Bishop pretty much ran the are and was in control just like landed gentry would control the people working on their land. In a weird twist of fate that meant the Bishop licensed “entertainers” and I am not talking about the actors at the Globe. The women were referred to as Winchester’s geese. The Palace’s was built in the 12th century and all that survives today is a few walls with a rose window. Actually it was built into other buildings and warehouses and was rediscovered in the 1980s

We also saw one of the George Inn and Bar. It is the last surviving gallery coaching inn in London. This one was rebuilt in 1677 after fire destroyed most of Southwark. It is similar to the Tabbard which is where Chaucer started the Canterbury Tales. Siobhan told us that back in the day they would put on plays down in the courtyard and patrons would stand on the gallery walkways to watch the plays. I wish we had time for a beer but will save that for another trip.

We also saw what is now the Southwark cathedral. It is where Shakespeare and Harvard (of Harvard University fame) worshipped. The church was gothic in style and dates to the 10th century. It was also where the Hershey trials were held under Queen Mary. There was some nice stained glass but we walked through very quickly. We did find on if Siobhan’s books on sale in the gift shop which we bought and she signed for us.

We also walked through a nice little food market under one of the bridges. It was worth a second trip and I will keep in mind for my next trip.

We walked by a copy of the Golden Hinde which was the ship Francis Drake circumvented the world in 1577. It was closed for some repairs so that it is ready to sail in the Jubilee festivities.

One very unexpected stop was a museum to a women’s surgery near the university of London. Apparently there was a hospital beside a church to accommodate the woman’s surgery they asked the church if they could use their attic. When the hospital moved the church just bricked up the attic access and never looked again. When someone was researching the old woman’s surgery they asked to visit the church’s attic and were surprised to find the surgery still complete intact. Nothing had been done they had just locked the access and walked away. It was a crazy little stop on our walking tour. My sisters would have loved it. I found it to be pretty creepy.

This is an often overlooked part of London and it is worth a visit.

From here we walked to the Tower of London along the river. There are great views of the Tower Bridge along the way. We stopped for lunch just outside the Tower then headed in.

We were very lucky it was not crowded at all. We were able to pretty much free flow right through. We went through the medieval areas first which compared to the other Tudor period things we saw this was very stark and seemed plain and sterile. a lot of it predates the 1500s. The white tower is the first section built soon after William came from Normandy in 1066. It is still the center of the Tower. The chapel was open when we were there and we were able to see the final resting place of Queen Jane Queen and Anne Boleyn. Along with others that met the end of their life in the Tower. There were not individual graves basically just under the floor with a later marker placed on the ground.

Other highlights include the staircase where the princes were found, the tower with the carvings from prisoners in the tower including Jane’s husband Gilfoy and personal chapel where Henry VI likely was killed. The carvings that were made by these imprisoned during the Tudor period is the highlight of the tour. (Where Jane and Anne were held are not open to the public. Anne’s spot is no longer standing and Janes is part of the current queens lodging if she were ever to stay in the Tower (which of course she never will). Also saw the pageant of kings which is thought to be the first tourist attraction. Basically they set knight armor up on horses. And lines then in a great hall area of the tower. Now the armor and horses are displayed separately. There were several sets of Henry’s armor both skinny and fat Henry. I was quite surprised at how elaborate the armor was. Most were very ornate. It did not seem like something you wore to battle.

Who am I kidding the highlight is the Crown Jewels. Generally all of the Crown Jewels were melted down by Oliver Cromwell during the Reformation. The only original price is the coronation spoon. Seems someone purchased it and then returned it when Charles retook the throne. So although amazing these are not the jewels worn by the Tudors.

We had a great day touring the Southwark neighborhood and the Tower. After a worrisome start to the day we ended up deciding to continue are original plans to fly home on Sunday so there was no rushing out to get the test. That would be tomorrow’s challenge.