This is Not a Drill

October 22: The terrorists were threatening mayhem since before our trip. It worried Mom, but we didn't give it a second thought. For one thing, we were in London, and their hijinks were planned for France.

We descended into the rooms used by the British government during World War II.  Prime Minister Winston Churchill didn't like it there, preferring to be above-ground with his people.  One of his typical argument strategies was pretending to go deaf when someone said something he didn't agree with.  But that didn't work here, since the entire cabinet was forced underground for defense.

Life was cramped, with tedium broken only by the constant work of running the war. We saw map rooms, bunks and equipment necessary for winning the war. A special locked door tagged as a restroom could only be used by Churchill. This convinced everyone that he rated a private bathroom -- a luxury when several people needed to share limited facilities.

Actually, the room contained a phone -- the first hot line to the U.S. President. There, both Churchill and Roosevelt could discuss their plans in absolute secrecy.

About half of the museum was devoted to Churchill's personal life. For example, he was the son of a British lord and an American heiress, who mostly ignored him as he was shipped off to boarding schools.

Just as I was about to delve deeper into his post-war career, the lights suddenly went out. Then, dim emergency lights came on.

A member of the staff came out and asked us to sit tight. They would make a decision on whether to close the museum as soon as they found out what was wrong. In the back of my mind, I wondered if terrorists had carried out their threats. The uncertain atmosphere gave us a taste of what World War II must have been like down there.

I used my mini-LED flashlight to illuminate some of the display cases. But since most of the exhibits were interactive and computer-controlled, we could do very little but sit and wait.

Eventually, the staffer came out again and apologized for closing the museum. A substation went out and the entire neighborhood was dark. We would need to get tickets to return or refunds.  We chose the latter because we were leaving for France the next day.

Visiting the Tower of London

October 22: Though its dwarfed by the modern buildings around it, the Tower of London still imposed itself on the city as a mass of stone and history. But the scaffolding and protective sheeting that climbed many of its walls made it seem a tad vulnerable.

As soon as the Tower opened, we rushed to the Crown Jewels to avoid the crowds. Judging from the Disneyesque stanchions in that area, lines of people in the high season would be horrendous.

You'd think the lady in us would enjoy the displays of diamonds, golds and precious stones. But since everything used the same Baroque royal style, one crown pretty much looked like the next. Or maybe the jewels proved ultimately incomprehensible because it would be hard to plan outfits to match such accessories. We spent more time winding through the stanchions and barriers than actually viewing the jewels themselves.

The man in us enjoyed the armory displays at the White Tower. Swords, axes, shields and knightly wear came in all shapes and sizes, even for children. Anthony enjoyed the few samurai armor pieces which were gifted to some king.

Nowadays, women can be beefeaters, though they're still a minority. Our guide was male.

Definitely worthwhile was the included one-hour tour by a beefeater, the blue-and-red-robed guardians of the Tower. With theatrical flair and a booming voice, our bearded guide clued us in to the historical machinations of this royal palace. He invited small kids to stand in front, so he could occasionally frighten them with loud emphasis or by comparing their ages to those of the boy princes who were murdered at the Tower.

We liked him a lot.

Lunch at the site cafe was both filling and reasonably-priced at 15 pounds for the two of us. I enjoyed a large sausage pastry, french fires with some Diet Coke, while Anthony ate cod and fries.