Tower Bridge of London

We used to sing the nursery rhyme  "London Bridge is Falling Down...."and perhaps some kids did not even know what we were singing about. And this time for real I had an opportunity to visit the Thames river...but there were actually so many beautiful bridges across it!!

So we chose the Tower Bridge and enjoyed the long walk around it. As our friend Kevin gave us a running commentary about the history of England (most English really know their history well) I could not but felt sorry for the queens of Henry VIII who had their heads chopped off .Traitors were kept in dungeons (and of course later had their heads off too.) Decapitation was such a favourite form of punishment all over the world across all cultures in fact in the past.

Capital punishment was abolished in 1963 but I cannot remember when the last beheading was held in England or in the world.

Again I notice blue is quite a favourite colour in England too. Here the bridge gets some new paintwork for its railings. (Blue paint gives an eerie feeling at night in the dim lights so night scenery has a special atmosphere.)

This guy is called a Beefeater. and it is indeed his duty to pose with foreign tourists in his century old uniform . Beefeaters are usually about 6 foot and above.

Fish and Chips here are not cheap AT TEN pounds...equiv to RM52 per portion and a young man might not find it filling enough. May be some one should start a nasi lemak stall here some one suggested (LOL). But Fish and Chips is as English as Shepherd's Pie or Cider. When in England enjoy English food!!

Sykes is a very interesting and Dickensian surname - like Wong. This man is actually using his hands to repair the stone work...one piece at a time. Standard procedure.

These are the pretty river cruise boats...and they are usually always full of tourists. London is one of the best tourist places in the world. This makes Queen Elizabeth II smile all the time.

This is an old  sturdy wooden gate to keep traitors in the dungeon. Good wood in England lasts a few centuries.

Me standing next to a fancily painted London taxi. They used to be quite black and drab looking. I wonder who thought of painting them up recently. You can buy one taxi and have it shipped home if you were an Arab Sheikh or a rich Malaysian timber tycoon.

Tudor looking extention forming part of the castle.

A modern stall selling treats....I found out that it was actually French food! May be the French don't like Fish and Chips so a wise French (may be) guy started his business here and sell nice French bread and sandwiches to his own countrymen. Oh hope I don't get arrested for saying this...but Great Britain is a place where freedom of speech is enjoyed. Hope I am not wrong.

It was not too cold and the sun was up. It was a lovely walk and Thames has plenty to offer...in fact you can enjoy the scenery along the Thames for the whole week and even longer....sit by the river banks and read the papers and no one will chase you away. And no one will give you looks too. That's civil freedom.

Even though millions of people visit this place every week it is well kept and is very clean. May be you will have to pay for your toilet use unless you can get into a Starbucks. So be warned.