Greetings from London! It has been an incredible yet exhausting weekend with Bo and my parents. I love that when my parents visit London we have the opportunity to finally visit historic and cultural spots we’ve heard about so much.

I took Friday off from work so that we could enjoy the day together. Our itinerary included a relaxed morning breakfast, exploring Tower of London, cruising the Thames river, pub grub and toasting pints in a pub.

Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed our experience at the Tower of London. Culturally and historically, it was a great starting point for our London history tour. We were blessed with phenomenal weather which meant that we spent plenty of time touring the grounds and walking the perimeter wall.

Did you know that this seal changes for each king or queen, replacing the first letter with their first initial? The R however remains the same as it stands for queen or king in Latin, which is regina for queen or rex for king.

  For us, the highlights included the crown jewels, which have been stored at the Tower of London since the 14th century when Westminster Abbey was deemed unsafe.  The Crown Jewels collection includes the coronation objects of the kings and queens such as crowns, robes, sceptres, and rings.

The jewels are guarded by members of the British Army. In addition, the Yeoman Warders, or Beefeaters, only qualify to serve in this role once they have honorably served in the army for 22 years! If you’re planning a trip to the Tower of London, we do have a few tips for you based on our experience.

1. Buy your tickets in advance to avoid the very lengthy queues.

2. Research in advance to understand whether European school children are on holiday. If they are, then make sure you arrive as early as possible.

3. Make sure to allow yourself 2-3 hours to explore the Tower of London as there are many areas to visit and being rushed just isn’t fun.

Have you been to London before? If so, what was your favorite part?