The Allisons

The Temple Church and Tower of London

The Knights Templar built this church in the 1100s-1200s. It sustained heavy damage during WWII, but has been repaired. It is one of the few circular churches in England. It is believed that initiation ceremonies for the order took place in the crypt of this church. In the round part they have 13th century "effigies" on the floor. I guess it's where these famous knights are buried. Below and to the right is the inside of the Temple Church. The "Master of the Temple" had just finished giving a lecture on the fact and fiction of the Da Vinci Code. We were disappointed that we missed it.
Next, we visited the Tower of London. Among other things, this is where the crown jewels are housed. We did see them, but weren't allowed to take pictures.
You've probably heard that it's rainy in London. This (right) was an umbrella and pancho vending machine. The panchos were all sold out though. How funny is that?
This is Mike and I inside the Tower of London with the Tower Bridge behind us.
This is called the White Tower (right). It was completed in 1097 and was the tallest building in London at 90 ft. high. It is the oldest surviving part of the Tower of London. It served as an armory for centuries and is currently an armor and weapons museum.
This (left) is the Traitors' Gate. Many prisoners on their way to die, entered here. This (right) is one of the royal guards. True to everything you've always heard, they don't move. If it starts to rain, he goes in his little house behind him. We couldn't actually mess with this one, because he was behind a fence.
The Tower of London also houses these huge ravens. One king of the past said if the ravens were ever to leave the Tower, the monarchy would fall. So, ravens are kept here in the Tower and their wings are clipped so they don't fly away. This one with Mike walked almost right up to him and then followed him down the sidewalk about 10 yards. Awww, Mike made a friend.
Here's us with another friend we made. A friendly, neighborhood Beefeater.
Ok, maybe one more London blog.