Next fire alarm, remember shoes

So the big news of the night was that the fire alarm went off at the hotel at 3 a.m. We were all so disoriented and exhausted, however, that it took some time to figure out what was going on. Michaela and I stuck our head out of the door to check what was happening, and saw people pouring down the stairs, so we went...sans shoes and--in Sean Saleh's case--a shirt. It was drizzling outside, and the concierge herded us across the street to stand, huddled together, in the cold for 10 minutes while the fire department came. NO WORRIES; a water leak had triggered the alarm, and we were shortly allowed back in. Wish I'd had my camera, though, to capture our snazzy pajama party.

Needless to say, we were very tired this morning. I failed to wake up until 10 (and breakfast was scheduled for 9:30), so Cate Bacon helped out with a knock at the door. We made it to the Tower of London by noon, and were lucky enough to catch members of the Royal Navy making an official entrance into the tower. Apparently they were ferrying a foreign diplomat and his family on a naval ship parked in the Thames - Michaela has pictures of them.

In the Tower of London, a Yeomen Warder of Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress (a.k.a. "Beefeater," because they were partly paid in beef back in the day) met us -- and 100 other people -- for a tour. His voice projected well, and we caught most of the stories of murder and mayhem: Anne Boleyn, Katherine Howard, and Lady Jane Gray were all executed there, among others.

Molly, Blake, Charlie and I separated from the group in order to view the Crown Jewels and wander through the White Tower, where relics of the Royal Armory are stored. Lots and lots of guns, pikes, and armor.

Tonight, we'll head to the south side of the Thames and the new Globe Theater to catch a performance of Shakespeare's King Lear. We're bringing our raincoats!