We have old forts here in Nassau: Fort Charlotte, Fort Montague, Fort Fincastle. Granted, they’ve seen better days, but they’re forts, nonetheless, that were used to defend Nassau against marauders and pirates. (Although the term “pirate” throughout the history of the Bahamas has often been very loosely defined.)
England, of course, has more than its share of old castles and forts. One of the most famous is the
Tower of London, built by William of Normandy (more commonly known as William the Conquerer) in 1078. 
Basically, Big Bill (no relation to Big Ben) wanted a place he could call his own, a place of peaceful solitude, a place where he could comfortably hold quiet dinner parties . . .
No, wait. That’s another story. I digress.
Anyway, call me naïve, but before I saw it with my own eyes, I assumed that a place called the Tower of London would be . . a tower. Pretty silly of me, I know. In reality, the Tower of London is a whole complex of towers with names like:
Devereaux Tower
Flint Tower
Bowyer Tower
White Tower
Wardrobe Tower
Middle Tower
St. Thomas’s Tower
Cradle Tower
Salt Tower
The place has also hosted some pretty interesting guests as well, all of whom simply lost their heads during their stay. Just to name a few: William Wallace (of Braveheart fame), Henry VI, Sir Thomas More, Anne Boleyn (wife #2 for Henry the VIII), Catherine Howard (wife #5 for Henry the VIII), Guy Fawkes, and Sir Walter Raleigh, a privateer who likely knew all about Nassau in those days. 
The bridge alongside the Tower of London, on the other hand, is called The Tower Bridge. Now that makes sense, despite having the bloody thing associated for my entire life with the little ditty, London Bridge is Falling Down, Falling Down, Falling Down.
So now I know the truth. Just to make sure this reality actually takes hold among tourists like me, though, officials in London have seen to it that the real London Bridge is clearly marked.
That’s English hospitality for you.
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