Karissa's European Adventure: Skype Chat with the Family and The Tower of London Tour

Hey everyone well it's been a few days since my last post and as usual I have lots to write about :) I've had another Skype date with all of my family including my number one boyfriend Brad lol I loved getting to see all of there faces. Ashleigh and I got to chat for the first time face to face and she was just like I was last time with not being able to think of things on the spot to talk about ha We still managed to talk for ages just like we usually do at home and she filled me in on all the goss which was great!I even got to see how much her belly has grown in just two weeks :) Sally was more prepared this time even showing me her shopping that she bought in Sydney so that was cool!She makes me laugh with the faces she pulls when she's talking to me!I love my sisters and they are my best friends <3

It was sooo good talking to Brad when he got on because I didn't know that he would be there!I miss seeing him everyday and our crazy laughs and good times but he was good to chat to because he has been over here and knows what things are like. Mum and dad were keen to get on and have a chat!I love seeing their faces too but they make me sad thinking of how much I miss them whenever I Skype. It was easier talking to mum this time I didn't cry when she was saying how proud of me she is like last time :) Dad is always keen to hear all about my travel plans and the things I have seen as he is like me with my travelling we never want to sit around and waste time. We always like making the most of our trips!I remember when we were young him making us go down to the beach with him when we went away rain,hail or shine so we made the most of our fantastic family holidays!He still does it now lol I think I get my enthusiasm from my dad. I got Sally to hang up first this time and as usual I had tears in my eyes because I was so happy to see them but sad to say goodbye. Alright enough about home (it's making me sad) and onto the Tower of London!ha

The Tower of London

This site is one of London's three world Heritage sites. I paid around £20 as my admission fee to enter the Tower as I had read in my 'Europe on a shoestring book' that if it was only one site that you saw in London it had to be this one. So I went along by myself and decided to do a couple of the tours that went around the Tower to make the most of my experience unlike at the National Gallery lol The first tour I was taken around on was interesting and the tour guide was a 'Beefeater' they guard the queen on many of her important outings and parades etc They have some crazy criteria and experience they have to do to even qualify for the job. They have to serve 20 years in the Army along with many other things that I can't remember after my 60 minute tour. Lots of the tour around was very interesting but I wish I knew a little more about British history because lots of the names and things he was talking about were going straight over my head!lol He talked of execution and torture that used to take place within the palace gates. If a traitor was caught they would be hung, stretched and their guts would be cut open and one by one their internal organs would be pulled out!Gross!If a prisoner was beheaded their head would be paraded through the streets of London and then hung from London Bridge as a warning to anyone attempting the same betrayal. Their bodies would then be taken back to one of the palace's church and buried. One of the churches that I went into had 15000 bodies beneath the surface.....freaky!

I explored around the Tower and got to see lots of dungeons and mueseum rooms as well as re-enactments of past events. This was like a window to a gruesome and interesting history from the Roman era to the present. Some of the towers had been there since the 1100 century sooo old!The best part of the visit for me was the CROWN JEWELS.This is were they had videos and written sayings that you could walk past all leading up to the crown jewels. One of the sayings that grabed me and made me understand more about the coronation process was this one 'authority passes from one monarch to the next through the symbolic use of the crown jewels during the coronation ceremony'. I had no idea what I coronation cermony was before entering this amazing building of Royal History. They showed a video of the Queen Elizabeth the 11 coronation on the 2nd of June 1953. It was on a huge screen with music that brought tears to my eyes.I felt like a twat being alone and crying but it was so moving and def my favourite part of the Tower!At the end of the display/exhibition I got to see crown jewels from past Kings and Queens that were amazing!!!They were so sparkly and beautiful I'd never seen anything like that before. The diamonds, emeralds, sapphires and every other stone you could think of were sprinkled all over the many pieces of jeweled headwear. One of the Diamonds that was placed in a glass display was 550 carats!Yikes needless to say the crown jewels were under heavy security!I got to see solid gold Coronation supper items that the royal family use to celebrate the crowning of a new King or Queen. There were plates, wine goblets everything you can imagine in solid gold. I got to see soooo much that words can not explain and loved it, its a shame you weren't allowed to take any photos in there because you would have been able to see what I was talking about!definitely worth going to see if you ever come to London.