We met Diana and Hanna Friedman at the Princess Diana’s Playground in Hyde Park. After chatting and watching Hanna play, we went for lunch. Diana brought us up to speed about the goings-on of our mutual friends in Sarasota; her wit as sharp as ever.
After lunch, Dennis and I visited The London Towers. Fortunately there was not a lot of stress on the tortures and beheadings. The Beefeater (tour guide) presented historical data for about thirty minutes, and then we toured the tours on our own.
I 
particularly liked the info on the Royal Menagerie, a zoo developed from gifts of exotic animals. There were lions, ostriches, monkeys, porcupines, snakes—even a polar bear. For entertainment, people would bring cats and dogs for the wild animals to prey on. The polar bear was tethered and then allowed to fish in the River Thames. With all the pollutants in the river during the 18th and 19th centuries, I am surprised the animal survived. Eventually the animals became part of the London Zoo.
Tomorrow we set out for Wales. I will have to walk into town for WiFi, so the postings may be more sporadic.
