Tower of London

In my imagination, the Tower of London was the British version of Kilmainham Gaol. When I finally visited it for the first time, I was stunned to see it is a little medieval village on the Thames. It has a moat, a wall - several, in fact - residences, a surgeon's office, and, wait for it, several towers.

Our timing was good, and we found the beginning of a tour and tagged along. The tour guide is a Beefeater in full regalia, and he told some very amusing stories about the major players in the history of the Tower. He took every opportunity to make sly digs at the US ("We had a Water Gate before the Americans did.") After the tour, we saw the ravens that protect the continuation of the current monarchy, and walked through the Crown Jewels exhibit, where cameras were verboten.