History Hound Travels

We’ll be staying in London again today, visiting the Tower. You didn’t all check out of your cheap hotels did you? Listen, good hotels in London are dear. You need to keep that room until I say let’s go! Ok, back to the Tower of London. The photo shows what is known as the Traitor’s Gate, and this is the entrance most often used by those who were to be held prisoner. It is only accessible by water. Anne Boleyn, her daughter Elizabeth, her successor Catherine Howard and Sir Thomas More all entered the Tower this way, and only Elizabeth came out with her life.

The first tower prisoner was Ranulf Flambard in 1100 and the last prisoners were the Kray twins in 1952. And doubtless the Tower is the most famous execution site in the world. Many nobles were executed there, both inside and outside the Tower complex, and several are buried in the chapel by the Green.

The Tower was used as a royal residence from the time of William the Conqueror until Cromwell had the palatial buildings destroyed. Currently, the Crown Jewels are the main occupants.

Photo by Viki Male

Leaving Paris, let’s travel on to London. We can cross the channel by boat, or drive the chunnel. Either way, we’ll have to stop at one of the fine hotels in London to drop off our things. Assuming you are traveling with more that a backpack. I am. I have a couple of sizable suitcases. I hope you checked ahead to find cheap hotels, because it is practically blasphemous to over spend on lodging. Spend your money on fun, not sleep, ykwim? Where was I? Oh yes, the title tells me we were headed to see Big Ben.

Big Ben is much more than a clock. In fact, Big Ben isn’t a clock at all. It’s actually the name of the bell that lives in the tower. Did I just say “lives”? As if the bell were an animate object?? I think I did. Well, it’s over 150 years old, it eserves a bit of respect, don’t you think? In fact, the bell that’s in there now is a replacement bell. The first one cracked and the one in the tower today is cast from the same metal, albeit a little smaller.

The bell is not the only part of the tower that has an interesting history, of course. You can read more about it at wiki.

Photo by Diliff

I have written about Paris before, specifically about the Axe Historique and I thought I might write a bit more about one of the attractions I mentioned then, the Jardin des Tuileries.

The palace of Tuileries was built in the 1560s, commissioned by Catherine de’ Medicis after the death of Henry II. Louis XIV lived there for convenience (while Versailles was being built) before the French Revolution and under house arrest from 1789 to 1792. The National Constituent Assembly met there as well as the Jacobin Club du Manège. Napoleon resided there and in 1808, he began construction on the north gallery of the palace, which joined the Louvre, just as the southeast corner had done since the 1600s. This was not completed until the Second Empire under Napoleon III. However, in 1871, the palace was burned to the ground by members of the Paris Commune, and the ruins were demolished in 1883. Three centuries in planning and execution, 12 years in destruction. The large open space is now home to the 63 acre Jardin des Tuileries. The gardens still follow the design of the architect who designed them in the 1660s.

Of course, when you visit, you’ll need to be looking for cheap hotels and Hotel Club has great deals on hotels in Paris.

Vandalusia is not a name you are likely to find on a map these days, I guess, but it was once, so we’ll use it again. I was reading a bit today about a castle in Cazulas, and that led to a wiki search on Andalusia, which led to some reading on Vandals, and here we are back around to that castle again, because my last find was an article that describes the palace and surrounding areas in vivid detail. Of course, the inclusion of a great deal of the historical background played a part in winning me over, and rather than try to regurgitate that to you, I am simply going to link the article.

The castle is ideal for a family or group holiday in Spain, with enchanting gardens, and 12 bedrooms. My understanding from the article I linked is that the rooms can be rented separately, although the booking site does no mention this. Perhaps booking site is the wrong term. The castle can only accommodate 24 guests at a time, and so one must apply to stay there. You fill out an enquiry form on the site to begin the reservation process.

Beautiful, isn’t it? Many people get married in the private chapel on the grounds.

Here’s a great idea for those of you planning a trip to London (can I come, too?) The London Pass allows you to gain admittance to 56 London area attractions for one fee. You can get your pass for one, two, three or six days, and you can even combine it with unlimited travel on the bus, train and underground. And you get to go to the head of the line! These aren’t chump change attractions either. Use it at places like Tower of London, London Zoo, Kensington Palace, Windsor Castle, London Aquarium, Shakespeare’s Globe, St Paul’s Cathedral, all big name places you’d be paying to get in anyway. Prices currently range from £20.00 for a 1 day child’s pass to £112.00 for a six day adult pass with travel.

Let me see if I can add this up: save more + do more = sweet deal for any London Tourist. Oh, one more thing. Time starts ticking when you use it, not when you buy it, so you can get it before you go! (Travel passes are valid from the date you specify).