The Ceremony of the Keys...yawn

Sorry for not posting yesterday. We were a whirlwind of tourism all over London and by the time we got to the nice Internet cafe (the one I have been using is pretty questionable--this one isn't much better), the machine to buy computer minutes was broken.

So, you need to know about the Ceremony of the Keys. It's the oldest military ceremony in the world; it dates back 700 years. At exactly 9:55:30, the Key Chap leaves his office, grabs a military escort and locks all the doors to the Tower of London. The whole ceremony takes six minutes to complete and is done with serious precision.

We would not recommend going to it (you need to write for tickets at least two months in advance, but the good thing is, they're free) unless you have a keen interest in military ceremonies and standing on cobblestones at 10 p.m. freezing your royal rump off.

Funny thing about the ceremony, is they go through the same scripting every night. One guard (a real soldier in real uniform carrying a real machine gun) says, "Halt! Who goes there?"

"The keys," says the Key Chap.

"Whose keys?" says the rather intelligent lad with the machine gun.

"Queen Elizabeth's keys." Is the unspecific answer.

It's not like these people are fooling anyone. We all know they were just at the pub having a few pints together and now they're acting like this is a brand-new situation. The same brand-new situation they've been acting out for the past 700 years.

I guess that's kind of harsh. Maybe it would be more enjoyable if it were warmer. I can appreciate the precision, though. Just as the bell tower was striking 10 p.m., they were finishing up they're song-and-dance.

Just like every other night.

Sorry, no photos allowed of the Ceremony.