The first famous place I visited in London was the Tower of London. First of all, the “Tower” of London is not a tower. Rather, it is a castle. With the thick stone walls and the river around it, it was the safe haven where the kings and queens lived. But when bad times came, they could get killed or beheaded in there too.

I was surprised to find out the infamous Tower of London was actually quite small. It took me about an hour to walk around the castle and finish up the guided tour. During the tour, the guide gave us a detailed account of the “who”, “where”, “when”, “what” and “how” some of the kings and queens were killed. He also showed us the letters engraved on the stone walls by the prisoners of the Tower. Most prisoners were tortured or killed in the Tower one way or another. I could almost smell blood in the castle.