At the Tower of London, former home to many kings
 and queens, including Henry VIII, who beheaded his wife,
 Anne Boleyn, here.  The inscription reads,
“ Gentle visitor, pause a while,
Where you stand death cut away the light of many days.
Here, jeweled names were broken from the vivid thread of life.
May they rest in peace while we walk the
generations around their strife and courage,
under these restless skies.” 
Tower Bridge in London, crossing over the River Thames.
Contrary to popular belief, the song “London Bridge
 is falling down” has nothing to do with Tower Bridge,
instead referring to collapses of various other bridges. 

London taxis are still the most reliable (and expensive!)
 transportation in the city.  These are the only purpose
 built taxi cabs in the world.  A prospective driver
must pass a test proving “the knowledge” of London,
which entails memorizing every street, restaurant,
office building, place of worship and tourist attraction.
Hard to wrap your head around the number of places
in the UK that have the image of Elizabeth the queen.
Can you imagine the change to King Charles and
Queen Camilla?  Many locals can’t either. 
With the Tower of London in the foreground, a look
 across the River Thames to London’s new skyline,
 featuring the Shard, an 87 story residential skyscraper,
 currently the tallest building in the EU.  Built during
 the economic crisis, it is owned 20% by a British real
 estate agency and 80% by the state of Qatar.  Prince
 Harry has already rappelled from the top to raise money
 for charity.  What would Henry VIII think of that?
Queen Victoria, who reigned from
1837 until her death in 1901, stands
tall against the towering Shard.
As her majesty would have said,
“We are not amused”.

The London Eye, with passenger cars
 on the outside, rotating constantly at
10 inches per second, allowing for
loading and unloading without stopping.
It’s the most visited tourist attraction
in the UK.
At the time it was built in 1999, the
London Eye was the tallest observation
wheel in the world.  Each capsule
 has room for 25 people, and cantilevers
 slowly so that there is always an
 unobstructed view.  Engineers from the
 London Eye were brought to Las Vegas in
2013 to consult on the High Roller,
which is now the tallest wheel.