By Sylvia Hui, Associated Press
|
|
The Tower of London has been closed since the pandemic began. Photo Credit: Petr Kovalenkov/Shutterstock.com
LONDON (AP) -- The cobblestones are deserted at the Tower of London. A biting wind blows and there is no sign of life. Even the storied ravens are nowhere to be seen.
England's top paid attraction, which normally draws more than 3 million visitors a year, has been closed for all but a dozen weeks since the pandemic began and international tourism to London came to an almost-complete standstill.
The quiet has been surreal for Amanda Clark, one of the Tower's famous resident guards known as Yeoman Warders, or Beefeaters. The affable Clark, a retired sergeant major, lives for interacting with people: directing tourists, telling them stories, posing for their selfies. Before March 2020, she would have been doing that happily every day as crowds streamed into the attraction, also home to the Crown Jewels.