The Curtis Family

Paul started planning this trip to Europe almost immediately after we returned from our Italy trip last fall. And this time Daniel went with us for the first half of the trip. Thanks to a generous gift from a family member Paul and I were able to afford to take this trip. Daniel paid his own way except for the airbnbs (which we were paying for anyway).

We went to London first. Then on to Paris. Daniel returned home from Paris and Paul and I spent another few days there then we went on to Athens for a day and a half.

Here we are in the Charolotte airport waiting for our flight to London, Heathrow.

In the taxi line at the airport in London. Getting ready to ride in one of those cool looking taxis driving on the wrong side of the street!

I loved how our London airbnb was decorated with all white and vintage furniture and decorations.

Unfortunately, there wasn't a comfortable place for Paul to sit.

The kitchen was very well equiped and the host had left a great selection of snacks!

The combination washer/dryer was handy so we didn't need to pack as many clothes. But the dryer part didn't really dry the clothes. Just sort of wring most of the water out. You'd have to let it run forever with very little in it to actually get anything dry!

It was a 2 bedroom apartment so Daniel had his own bedroom for this part of the trip. This was our bedroom.

The airbnb was in one of these cool row houses in a neighborhood of London but not near the touristy stuff.

Trying to use Google maps to find a grocery store

On our walk to the grocery store on the day we arrived. I don't know if the phones actually work. I'm pretty sure they just leave these phone booths up all over London for photo opps!

The next day started out pretty dreary and raining.

We took a ferry to the Tower of London. The ferry is a part of the London transportation system so a pretty cheap river tour of London!

Big Ben

The London Eye

Southwark Bridge

Pretty boring looking!

Throwback pictures of us visiting the London Bridge in Arizona in 2013!:

Back to 2025--in ACTUAL London:

The Tower bridge and the HMS Belfast-a WWII battle ship

The Tower of London is actually a complex made of of 21 different towers. The first tower, The White Tower, was built by William the Conqueror to keep defeated Londoners in line. Over the centuries the Tower of London has served as a royal residence, the Royal Mint, the Royal Jewel House and as the prison and execution site of those who opposed the Crown.

We bought our London Christmas ornament here.

A Yeoman Warder (Beefeater)

Their original duty was to guard the Tower, prisoners and jewels. Today they give tours and provide entertainment. Thier nickname may have come from the large beef rations they received as part of thier payment! They are all retired noncommissioned officers from the armed forces with distinguished service records and they and their families get to live inside the Tower!

The British don't let you take pictures of the Crown Jewels so these are all the pictures we have!

The French let you take pictures of theirs! Maybe because they aren't used anymore?

The execution site in the Tower Green. It was reserved for the most heinous traitors. Common criminals were hanged outside the Tower. More prominent criminals were decapitated atop Tower Hill. Anne Boleyn, Catherine Howard, Jane Boleyn and Lady Jane Grey and 2 others were beheaded here.

Beauchamp Tower was one place that housed important prisoners. The last enemy of the state imprisoned in the Tower complex was the Nazi Rudolf Hess. In 1941 he was held in the Tower for 4 days then given a life sentence.

Still officially a royal residence

Sir Walter Raleigh's study in the Bloody Tower. He was a prisoner here for 13 years and wrote the first volume of his History of the World here. He convinced the King to release him to search for El Dorado. After his failed expedition the king had him beheaded in 1618.

Wild animals from all over the world were kept at the Tower.

Part of a Roman wall

The White Tower

So cool to see ancient buildings and modern buildings.

Inside the White Tower

The toilet!

St. John's Chapel. The oldest surviving part of the original Tower and the oldest church in London.

I think the audio guide said this book contained just 4 years of armory records of what was stored at the Tower!

Wooden head of Queen Elizabeth. She was imprisoned here before becoming Queen.

The actual execution ax and chopping block. This axe was retired after the execution of Lord Lovat in 1747.

A re-creation of Edward I's bedroom in the Medieval Palace.

King Edward I's throne room re-creation

Walking the Tower wall. Ignore my knuckles! :-)

Tower Bridge was built in 1894 but fits right in with the medieval Tower walls.

We had planned to go to the Tower Bridge Exhibition and walk along the glass walkway but we were pretty tired after seeing all we could of the Tower of London and left there later than we'd planned.

According to tradition, the Tower and the British throne are only safe as long as ravens are present at the Tower. The 8 ravens have their wings clipped to keep them close.

There are so many interestingly shaped modern buildings in London!

The Shard-the tallest building in Western Europe

Queen's Gurkha Signals guarding the Queen's residence at the Tower

I read online that they just began the ceremonial duty of guarding the Royal Palaces ( Tower of London, St James's Palace and Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace) this year.

We were planning to attend a service at St. Paul's after the Tower of London (this was Sunday). But we didn't realize there was so much to see at the Tower and we stayed there longer than we'd planned! We were too late to attend the service but we went to see the Cathedral.

On the way we passed the Great Fire of London Monument.