Get a Flight Credit worth up to Through CEA CAPA, I was able to spend the day at the Tower of London! Throughout the week, CEA CAPA hosts many different events and experiences for students. Some of the events they offer range from food tours, to museum trips, theater nights, and even day trips to places like Wales and Brighton!
The Tower of London is located on the River Thames, and just about a 10-minute walk from my flat in Whitechapel! I pass by the Tower often when going on walks or taking the bus to different places, so I was excited to finally get to go inside and see all that it has inside!
I walked over to the Tower of London with some of my flatmates who were also attending the event, and when we got there we met the other CEA CAPA students and a CEA CAPA staff member. We grabbed our tickets from her and all walked in! Once we got inside, there were some Yeoman-popularly known as the Beefeaters-giving tours, ravens flying all over the place, and lots of people walking around and waiting in lines to get into the different exhibits they had inside.
There are ravens all over the Tower of London, and right near the entrance you are able to see a cage where a bunch of them live. It is said that the kingdom will fall if ravens ever leave the Tower, thus they live in cages and fly around there. Once walking past the ravens, we made our way towards the center of the Tower. Directly in the middle of the Tower, there is a big white castle which is the White Tower.
White Tower had many different floors, but when we first walked in there was a display of the Royal Armories collection. This included displays of horses and soldiers covered in all types of metal armor from over the different centuries they were used. It was very interesting to see the development and change in armor over time!
As we headed up the stairs in the White Tower, we were able to see lists and pictures of recognizable people that have visited the Tower over the years of operation, as well as a giant metal dragon composed of metal armor named Keeper! While continuing to walk around in the White Tower, we also got to see the St Peter ad Vincula Chapel, which still offers mass daily for all visitors to attend.
After walking out of the White Tower, we headed toward the Crown Jewels exhibit. I was most excited about this part of the tour because I have always seen pictures of many of these items, so I was very interested to finally see them in person. The inside of the building where the Crown Jewels are located is in a huge locked cellar. They have Royal Guards outside guarding the entrance and around the perimeter, and also have ample security on the inside.
Inside the Crown Jewels section, there is a world class exhibit of ceremonial and sacred pieces from the Royal Family. There is a wide variety of coronation platters, spoons, swords, and crowns all covered in thousands of gemstones-it was definitely the most sparkle I've seen in one room! Toward the end of the exhibit is where Queen Elizabeth II's imperial state crown sits. What is crazy is just a few weeks prior I got to see that crown on top of her casket while being driven by in the Royal Hearse after her funeral on route to Windsor Castle.
Overall, I really enjoyed my experience visiting the Tower of London with CEA CAPA, and I'm looking forward to the next event.
Kathleen Gorman is the Content Creator - Blogger.
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