I had ambitious goals to visit every sight, and every museum. But London is big, and a week is a surprisingly short time. So, as the week was quickly zipping past, only one last sight was kept on the list. On my last full day in London, I woke up early and high-tailed it to the infamous Tower of London.

One of the things I love most about London is the perfect mixture of the old and the new. The Tower of London is a perfect example of that. With the first part of the structure built in 1078, it's remarkable that this compound still exists right in middle of modern London.

I arrived before any lines had formed, bought a ticket and a tour book and set off to venture the site on my own. One of the main attractions (and the main reason I wanted to visit the Tower) is the Crown Jewels. That was my first stop, no cameras allowed.

The Tower of London served as a castle, a keep, a prison, and a symbol of intimidation against the enemies of England. From the central White Tower, to the Bloody Tower which hosted prisoners, torture, and executions, I explored the rest of the grounds. Walking along the outer wall, I imagined myself with a bow and arrow shooting oncoming hoards as they tried to cross the large surround moat.

It was a perfect morning, and I was able to see everything quickly without the mid-day tourist crowds gumming up the works. I'd like to go back and take a full tour with one of the Tower's iconic Yeoman, maybe on my next visit to London. I made sure to stop by the neighboring (and probably most iconic of iconic London sites) the Tower Bridge, often mistaken for the "London Bridge."

From there it was time for another photo shoot, so I zipped back to my hotel. And for my last night in London, I joined my new group of friends for drinks and a night out bar-hopping in Soho.