Elf's Shrine

Today, we will be going to Tower of London and Tower Bridge (London Bridge). Or at least look at London Bridge.

So we took the Underground to Tower Hill Station and once we got out of the station, we crossed the road and found ourselves in the Merchant Navy Memorial. I've always got a soft spot for war memorials. That's probably why I like Berlin alot, cos they seem to be so open about it. "Hey guys, we screwed up. Ooops." No covering (or at least not that severe?)

Anyway, the Merchant Navy Memorial is a rather nicely done up place. There is a small lawn with a compass rose, and a small building with inscriptions.










After a brief visit to the Merchant Navy Memorial, we moved over to the Tower of London. Before buying the tickets, we had lunch (Cod and Chips) and bought some souvenirs.

Tickets to the Tower of London cost GBP 22 with a voluntary donation. They will ask you if you want to donate. In the event that you do not wish to donate, you can get the ticket for GBP 20.  The Tower of London is a pretty nice place and I do recommend this as a visiting location when you come to London. For starters, the Crown Jewels are displayed here. They are so pretty! And they are worth a gander, unless you absolutely hate things that sparkle. It also gives you a fair look into the history of England and the Royalty, as the Tower of London is still considered a Royal Palace. Follow the Yeoman warder on the guided tour, ours was so funny it was enjoyable! I hope you get one as enjoyable too!

I didn't get all too many photos of the Tower of London as the weather was frightfully dreary... but on a better day (maybe in the summer or something) I'm sure this will be a very nice place.







The White Tower will take you an hour or so. The Crown Jewels will take at least half an hour. Cater your time accordingly. I travel slow, so my timing may seem too long for you. I should say that at a comfprtable pace, the Tower of London should take around 3 to 4 hours. For a quick blitz, just whack the Crown Jewels and the White Tower and you can be done in less than 2 hours.

We didn't go to Tower Bridge, but we were close enough to get some shots of it. Probably good that I didn't go on the bridge, I think I would be tempted to sing a song....... Hmmm.


We pretty much went around the whole of Tower of Londn, or so we should like to think. This brought us to around 5 pm, where we decided to move onto the West End.

We had dinner at this place called Muriel's. It's a really nicely appointed place and the food was quite good as well. Really relaxing dinner before the show. Really enjoying the West End gig we are!!

The show for tonight is Les Miserables. It's like one of the pegs in my Trinity of Musicals. Unfortunately, I felt that Fontaine wasn't very good. Either that or it was her style of presenting I Dreamed a Dream. The higher notes sounded like there were forced out but maybe that's her style. I didn't really like Cossette either but I never really liked Cossette. Jean Valjean was ok..... He's not Colm Wilkinson but I guess it's not fair to label everyone. Colm Wilkinson is just mega large shoes to fill, really.

Javert was good. But no one clapped for Javert's Sololiquy... but they appluaded Marius' Empty Chairs at Empty Tables that followed, and Marius stuck a wrong note in there too! Tsk. The discrimination. Javert, I support you! Sorry I didn't clap. I usually clap at the end.

So, Les Miserables. A minor disappointment but the show was not too bad. Just that I think we need to adjust expectations. We can't always have the best cast. Even the best cast have off days. Maybe the voice is just not performing that day etc.

The next time I come to London, I'll still be watching!!