The Tower of London is a historic landmark and is the city’s #1 tourist attraction. The site is adjacent to the Thames River and has been a fortress, palace and prison during its 1000 years of existence. Just like the famous nursery rhyme ‘Sing a Song of Sixpence’, I couldn’t help but think there were many parodies on this site that reminded me of the sarcasm from that song.

Most famously though, it houses the crown jewels and to this day is protected by the Yeoman Wardens or better known as ‘Beefeaters’. The jury is still out on why they call them ‘Beefeaters’ but many believe they may have been nick-named this, because in return for being the Royal Bodyguards they were afforded to eat as much beef as possible from the King’s table. Guess that would be great if you’re a meat lover, not so wonderful if you were a vegan. 🥩🥗🤨. Mic would do just fine!

It is a very prestigious position and before becoming a warden there’s a requirement to serve in the armed forces for at least 22years, reaching the rank of warrant officer and must have been awarded a long service and good conduct medal. Warder’s were Henry VIII’s invention when he decided the Tower should be protected (guess he felt a little insecure) and this tradition has remained to this very day. Every night they lock the outer gates of the fortress and hand over the keys to the resident governor. It’s been happening for over 700 years!! But this is not the only tradition that has survived…they keep 6 Ravens on site at all times, or should I say 7 just in case 1 snuffs it overnight.

And why might you ask, what’s the significance of that?? Steeped in superstition it is believed that if ever the Ravens leave the fortress the crown and tower will fall. They are a protected species on this site and will be forever more.

So, which king is responsible for this Medieval Palace? The ingenuity of its construction is owed to Henry III during his rule in the 13th century and palatial interiors to his son Edward I. Other Kings and Queens have made alterations over time to ensure the sites longevity and discovering what this entails makes this place so fascinating. It is a full day out, so make sure you’re well rested, have good walking shoes and stop for lunch to make the most of your day. It can get quite tiring.

The fortress has river views and allowed royal barges to be moored beneath the great archway. This archway later became known as Traitors’ Gate. But in amongst all the good that there is on this site there is also a checkered past and some terrible tales of torture and execution exist, whether it be the children of Edward IV who were believed to be murdered here by their uncle or the execution of Anne Boleyn by sword on the Tower Green under the instructions of her husband Henry VIII. This place could certainly do with some good vibes maybe some smudging, pink salt or soothing sounds could take away some of the proverbial cobwebs here.

However, the real gem or should I say 23,578 gems on display, really steal the show. And are they all real? Every single one is the real McCoy. This collection represents the most powerful symbol of British Monarchy. The coronation ceremony utilises the Royal regalia during the appointment of future King or Queen. It is a very religious and culturally significant event in which centuries of tradition are carried out as if following a script. But it can be treacherous as the crown is so heavy that balancing it on the top of your head becomes a skill as leaning too far forward could crack your neck.

There are other hidden gems onsite too, with gallant displays of armoury, a fire breathing dragon and a wall of masks that resembles the faceless men from Game of Thrones.

However, no trip to one of London’s favourite tourist attractions could be complete without visiting the gift shop. With lots of options to choose from we’re drawn to this fluffy selection of ‘Beefeater’ bears, royal guards, knights, King and Queen stuffed toys (for our son Ryan). They’re very cute especially the ginger King.

This blog should be titled Night and Day, Night and Day, Night and Day at the Museums, given that London is home to some of the World’s finest Galleries, Museums and Observatories. Of course, this is much to do with England’s position of power, as one of the richest countries throughout the centuries. By the way, thanks to my son Ryan for his photo editing skills here to capture Mic in his element as the lead curator and mastermind behind all photography captured not only in this blog but all current and future blogs, without him all my stories would be lifeless (but do note me in the background as his starring assistant 😃).

Rather than go into the detail of each site, we thought it would be best to highlight our favourites because every attraction is jam packed full of treasures spanning from around the world. Each one is truly amazing in its own right and offers appeal to a variety of tastes.

So where to begin:- The National Gallery, one of the world’s greatest galleries located adjacent to Trafalgar Square. Home to priceless European art with works including Rembrandt, Turner, Van Gogh, Da Vinci and Monet. Plus Mic leaning on the infamous Trafalgar Square Lion!

Tate Modern a former power station in Bankside containing an international modern art collection. Some of the famous artists inside this gem include Pablo Picasso, Jackson Pollock, Edvard Munch and Andy Warhol. Plus Mic posing next to Le Corbusier (special shout out for Shaz). Le Corbusier was a Swiss-French architect, designer, painter, urban planner and writer. He is one of the pioneers of modern architecture who was determined to provide better living conditions to residents of crowded cities and was influential in this pursuit.

British Museum houses the Egyptian Mummies, Elgin Marbles from Ancient Greece, Mosaics from South American Mayan Culture, Rosetta Stone & the Reimagining of Captain Cook looking at his expeditions in the Pacific some 250 years ago. And Mic posing next to Caraculla a former Roman Emperor (better known as the grumpy old man statue).

British Natural & Science Museum – Showing displays of the natural world including Dinosaurs, Moon, Mammoths, Rhinos and the Wright Bros. Mic not posing, but I am 🥴

Greenwich Observatory, Maritime Museum and Queens House – all situated in the Greenwich Park Precinct. Photo with feet either side of Greenwich meantime, Russian round warship (when it shot cannonball though, it would spin uncontrollably and sink, it is known for being one of the most unusual ships ever built and worst warship to this day) and the Cutty Sark (world’s last surviving tea clipper). And beautiful me on the first royal staircase in the Queen’s House. It is wrought ironwork masterpiece in a brilliant blue colour featuring a tulip design. It truly takes your breath away it is so unusual.

& Imperial War Museum – Tribute to WW1 & WW2 artifacts.

We have spent over three weeks in London and can’t believe all the amazing places we have visited and gems we have discovered along the way. We really have just skimmed the surface but hope this has opened your eyes to all the amazing places and treasures London has to offer, as it can really inspire you to follow dreams.

“So what was all that about”, says Mic at the end of Shakespeare’s Henry IV.

I knew for Mic, going to the Globe was going to be a hard sell. And changing his misconceptions that Shakespeare was not a byword for boring even more challenging!! Alas, I explain it’s drama, satire…a life changing experience all wrapped into one and give him a brief synopsis to which he says, “Arghhh”. 🤨 That was just the first scene and we have part 2 to go. OMG, I’m in trouble. Thankfully we bought the cheap seats and he has to stand. At least he’ll stay awake this way. They’re only £5/person, so great value for a 2.5hr play.

But for those that enjoy the brilliance of Shakespeare and thrill of a live performance, the Globe Theatre is on the top list of things to do in London. I do love Shakespearean plays and to be able to enjoy them in the remodeled traditional theatre with its open ceiling allowing London’s fickle weather in, added to the drama. It was just a light sprinkle. For Mic he was in disbelief that there wasn’t a roof. Oh well, when in Rome (okay that’s right, we’re in London on the Southbank with the Thames right at the back door…lol).

It was a great show, with actors making every attempt to give their audience a real understanding of the characters and script. You know it is live when the infamous Falstaff the drunk spits on you. Needless to say Mic no longer was standing near the front of the stage for part 2. There are plenty of other Shakespearean plays to choose from like Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Henry V etc because it’s Summer in London and this is the done thing.

But if Shakespeare is not really your cup of tea, why not try the West End Theatre’s as we did also. There are most likely 30 shows to choose from at any one time, including Wicked, Book of Morman, Tina, 9 to 5, Thriller and On Your Feet. We decided to watch the new Gloria Estafan show, On Your Feet at the Coliseum, and by the end of the show, we were. It even had a roof! 🕺💃

Mic has titled this blog and he assures me it is a play on words used in a popular movie staring Isla Fisher (for my Australian reader’s, she’s better known for her appearances on Home and Away). Well, I’m not so sure on the title and think he may be having a lend of me?

And as the story goes, we found the glitzy end of London shopping and I commenced my expedition into Harrods. Expedition is no understatement because it is truly a maze inside this building and if Mic hadn’t accompanied me, I doubt whether I would have found my way out (my kids know and recall I’m no good at mazes!!!). I’m like where’s Wally in reverse, finding it harder and harder to find my way out…and get more and more lost!

But begs the question, what am I doing here anyway. Unfortunately, my salary or lack there of one at the moment does not extend to purchasing anything in this store and that’s saying something coming from me!!! It is so expensive, but that’s okay as I’m happy to window shop, dream and get terribly lost in the midst of all the glamour and glory!!!!

Back on the streets, we take a stroll through the upmarket neighbourhoods of Mayfair, Oxford and Chelsea to end up at the Carnaby shopping district, just adjacent to Picadilly Circle. Now this is more my scene.

Once again, Mic advises me we need to keep moving 🤔 and for some odd reason we end up in the London Lego shop.

Next stop, Covent Garden. Covent Garden is in the West End, London’s main theatre and entertainment area. Tourists fill its elegant, car-free Piazza, home to fashion stores, crafts at the Apple Market and the Royal Opera House.

Then off to London’s popular Camden Markets, with picturesque canal (minus all the algae that is) and carnival shop fronts.

Finally, after 15km on foot, exploring London’s extensive shopping scene, we end the day with Mic’s staple diet 🍦🍧🍨. Not sure this sign serves as ample evidence, given his recent cholestoral level, but it did serve as a welcome final stop for tired feet.

At the heart of any crime scene detectives are used to investigate the facts and piece together evidence to bring the guilty party to judgement before the courts. Where was Sherlock when the ladies of the night in the Eastend of London needed him the most? Who was this psychopath? His name was Jack the Ripper.

The brutality was horrendous. Images even more frightening. These women were just trying to feed their families and pay the bills. Life can truly be so unfair. The women were from the largely impoverished areas in and around the Whitechapel district of London. That is, the cheap streets on the Monopoly board game. 🤑

So how many died?? There were 5 gruesome murders and to date no one knows who Jack the Ripper is. It still remains one of the great unfound mysteries that doesn’t have a conclusion nor a happy ending. And why is it that so many tourists want to hear this truly macabre retelling of the story and revisit the sites where the murders took place? I guess it’s the fascination with the history but maybe it’s more than that, it’s coming up with a solution to the crime, narrowing down the suspects and exposing who this legendary serial killer really was. Just go and do the Jack the Ripper tour in London as we did….if you dare! 👻☠👹😈🙀

But make sure you have a trustworthy chaperone to take you home, Mic passed with flying colours and got me home safely.

No visit to England could pass up a trip to a local cricket venue … or so Mic advises me. Hmmmm 🤔, I probably could have! However, to my surprise we visited The Oval, which was just around the corner from where we are staying in an area South of London known as Kennington. The Oval has been the home ground of Surrey County Cricket Club since it opened in 1845.

Whilst not Lords, which is considered the home of cricket (because it was the first officially built ground for the game of cricket honoring the builder Thomas Lord), it was home of the first Australia V England Test Match on English soil.

But let’s not mention the recent cricket scores! Well ok, England have just won the One Day World Cup and this was another reason we visited the Oval today, because they are celebrating the achievements of the players and showing off the silverware they have won for the first time. Australia have won it 5 times, Mic advises me smugly so I suppose it’s okay to share 🙂.

After Mic was satisfied that they would adequately caretake our trophy for the next 4 years, we decided to explore the paraphernalia and history records held within the Members stand domain. Glad we did, as we found a pair of doors honouring Don Bradman, named so because these were the doors that the great Don walked through to play his last innings in Test cricket. He scored his famous second ball duck leaving his average at 99.94. However, no one has never really come anywhere near him and as such his title remains intact as being the greatest player of the game.

And whilst on the topic of sport, another great event, was taking place, Wimbledon. Even though we couldn’t get tickets to the event, we decided to watch Halep annihilate Serena in the final, at one of the many popup London venues.

And then, there’s the soccer of course … whoops football, as they call it here. So, we decided to venture out and watch Crystal Palace take on Bromley in a trial match because the season only starts in August and tickets to those matches are like rocking horse 💩 (again, Mic’s words not mine). Bromley won 1-0.

But wait, there’s more!

As it happened, we just stumbled upon the mighty Lords venue. Remember, this is Mic who is navigating now, so I am not sure stumbled is the correct phrase given my love of the game cricket. Well, as it happened we found the Home of Cricket – Lords.

Unfortunately, there was a 20/20 match being played, however, it was all sold out …. shame! 😉 As all of you would understand marriage is about compromise sometimes it’s about doing something for the other person, even if you don’t want to. Guess there must be some girly shopping days to be had and just a few more visits to some trendy coffee shops. Feeling better already!!! 👛💄👠👗❤️❤️

The stars had aligned and we were fortunate to be able to attend a Rock Concert in Hyde Park … along with 65,000 other concert goers. But what an opportunity with Robbie Williams, The Black Eyed Peas, Texas & Keane all playing at the same event.

So, the show kicked off and peaked with the main support act of the Black Eyed Peas. They pumped out all their big hits including Pump It and Where is the Love? minus Fergie unfortunately 😪.

However, this was just the teaser because whilst Mic & I weren’t real fans of Robbie Williams (RW), he was simply awesome. RW has a reputation of being an incredible live performer and the King of UK Rock … well tonight was no exception. He commenced the set with Let Me Entertain You and finished with Angels. In between we had Queen’s Let Me Rock You and Neil Diamond’s Sweet Caroline – which he sang with his father, just to name a few.

In another extraordinary crowd-pleasing moment he brings a lady up on stage from the crowd. Lesley from Scotland is beamed across the giant screens bursting with joy as he serenades her with Something Stupid. It’s goofy and gorgeous. It sums up the spirit of the show. For three gorgeous minutes, Lesley is all of us.What a great night out! King Robbie works a crowd like no other and his collection of hits definitely rocks the British Summer of 2019.

Well, I do and whilst we didn’t get an invite to the palace today, we did do the Royal Tour of London.

Right on time for the changing of the guard ceremony a calvary of 15 horses arrive with guards from the 5 regiments. They were wearing traditional bearskin hats and red tunics with gold embroidery and black sleeves. It’s a very dramatic procession and so well orchestrated. Our first posting for the day was outside the Wellington Barracks to see the first guard change. It’s hard to believe this event happens daily regardless of weather. The procession starts here, then makes its way to Buckingham Palace with the final part of the exchange taking place outside St James’s Palace.

Making our way through St James’s Park we have approx 30mins before we need to position ourselves outside St James’s Palace to see the 3rd guard change take place. However, as time permits we have a quick photo opportunity to get our first glimpse of Buckingham Palace and to admire the gorgeous gardens.

It’s not long before the regimental band and new guard are standing in front of the old guard and perform the “symbolic handing-over”. Psst….we have some insider information to pass over here as we’ve been told that the new residency for the future King Charles is likely to be St James’s Palace and that Buckingham Palace will likely be used as a museum to generate revenue. They are making preparations currently to allow this to happen and this explains why there is so much construction work occurring in this area at the moment.

So, what’s the history behind the change. Well, the palace was largely built by Henry VIII and within the grounds most of the buildings have survived. This list includes The Royal Chapel, Gatehouse, turrets and two Tudor State room apartments. There are many historical events that have been recorded here such as Mary Tudor signing a treaty surrendering Calais, Elizabeth I leading her troops against the Spanish and with many of the royals being born, baptised and taking residency here. It is known to locals as a place where the royals feel most at home and have enjoyed many special occasions such as Prince George’s christening in 2013. And in the area adjacent it’s where the royals source local wines, clothing, hats and the beautifully crafted Wellington Boots.

But no visit to London would be complete without taking in the grandeur of Buckingham Palace. It’s a real shame we didn’t get to see the Queen as she was in residency, however, there’s always next time right!

Well, we made a promise and my promise is definitely not made out of pie crusts (although, I do enjoy the occasional pie with mushy peas, the good old fashioned Sauer’s pies of course 😋) to commit to our yoga practice when travelling. You all know how much I enjoy yoga, however, I must confess it has been well over two months that my yoga has been neglected. So, in a desparate attempt to honour my commitment and restore my grounding in the practice Mic and I have managed to find Bikram Yoga London or BYL for short.

It is a wonderful studio in a great location, only minutes away from where we are staying near Elephant Castle. It feels amazing to be back in the hot room, even though the body did not feel the same way the next morning. Everyone at the studio has been very welcoming and supportive. We have even got to know some of our teacher’s at the studio, in a very short period of time. One such practitioner was Bridgett Ane. A beautiful and talented yoga teacher with lots and lots of energy and enthusiasm. Bridgett is also an accomplished international Yoga champion. Being so dedicated to the practice we learnt about her endeavours to open a second yoga studio in Brighton, Yoga In The Lanes. We hope that if not on this trip, we will be able to join you in Brighton on our return and share our practice with you again, as it was truly an inspirational experience.

And to our wonderful yoga teacher’s back home and friends from yoga practice, our intention was to send lots of love, light, happiness and health back to you all. Namaste and see you all back in the hot room.

If I was Smurfette, this is where I would live. In the picturesque Cotswolds! But in particular, I would choose Chipping Campden as it is one of the loveliest small towns in the region.

Oh, but Papa Smurf prefers a view! And a castle 🤴.

The Cotswolds is considered one of England’s most picturesque regions with lovely small towns, historic homes, postcard scenery and offers a variety of leisurely walks. One that is recommended is the Cotswold Way, (which may not be so leisurely) as you walk along the escarpment for approx 150km travelling from Bath and finish at Chipping Camden. We took several days to explore the area, which included Broadway, Burton on the Water, Lower and Upper Slaughter.

I think Mic is getting a little homesick for his Mini, however, he found this cute Mini topiary to share a moment. This museum is also home to Brum, a small replica car that was made famous due to a children’s television series. Brum’s adventures saw him exploring the Big City without his owner knowing. A lot like Mic really when he’s behind the wheel of the Mini doing speeds unimaginable to most and I’m not in the car telling him to slow down!! Lucky for Mic he’s able to sweet talk himself out of most situations 😊 – we’ll leave that story for another day!

And who could pass up a visit to this cute replica minitue village at Burton on the Water?