The Tower of London

A few facts:
If you have a student ID from college that doesn't have an expiration date on it, you can still get a discount, even if you've been out of school for 4 years. I saved three pounds off the admission price at the Tower of London, even though I look way older than Katie, who doesn't have a usable student ID. Even still, we spend £24 on admission (or about $48). That's an expensive tourist trap/world historical site.

We showed up in the afternoon, on the notion (provided by Katie's Lonely Planet London Guide) that the lines (or, forgive me, queues) would be next to nothing in the afternoon, and we could just walk in. This (with all due respect to the editor of the guide) was a load of dung. I'm sure the lines were shorter, though they still approximated amusement park lines.

There was much interesting to see, including the bedchambers of long-dead kings, the historic armories, and, of course, the crown jewels. The crown jewels themselves were an interesting experience, in that there was a LONG (though fairly quick moving) line to enter the building, then each successive room had its own serpentine lines to maneuver. Most of the rooms contained large video screens displaying the crown jewels in close up as well as their use in various coronations, etc. When we finally got to the room with the actual crown jewels (behind thick glass, with perhaps the most impressive diamonds in absentia), there were two moving sidewalks on either side of the glass forcing the lines to move at a certain pace (though you could go back around and do another lap on the treadmill). And I was initially surprised that no mention was made of the theft of the crown jewels, though perhaps that was included on the audio tour that we neglected to purchase.

We barely got to see the Bloody Tower, as the complex was closing at 17:00 (5 p.m. local time). The nearest beefeater rushed us through and toward the nearest exit.

The Tower of London complex is not for the faint of heart nor for those who don't like to go up and down long flights of narrow stairs and across uneven cobblestone roads. It certainly isn't all-accessible. The most interesting parts were perhaps those that were closed off as "private" or "no admittance," making one wonder what secrets lay just beyond the public's reach. All-in-all a must see, even at outrageous exchange rates.