Exploing London - Day 1 (25.06.08)

Headed off to see the Changing of the Guard and at the same time scope out the Queen´s house. Took the wrong train though and had a bit of a mad dash to get there only to find out the palace guard swaps over at 11.30am and not 11.00am. Still, there were hoards of people already there. The police woman told us the best spot was over the road and in front of the main gate. So there we went and waited and waited and waited some more.

Buckingham Palace doesn’t look as exciting as other palaces, maybe because it is fairly new in London standards – completed some time after 1837 I believe. Queen Vic was the first monarch to live there and these days the Queen and her man reside there with 300 staff to serve them.

When the first lot of guards came marching in we thought that was it and silently cursed the police woman for telling us that the spot we were in was good. We moved to a higher position to see what was taking place behind the gates. Naturally, as soon as we relinquished our curbside spot a bigger band came marching right past where we had been. We silently cursed again and decided to go. Then just as we were about to go a troop of mounted guards rode by our original spot. This time we cursed out loud from the back of the crowd.

Next we headed past St Jame’s Park (once part of Henry VIII’s hunting grounds) and on to Westminster Abbey the resting place of Britain’s monarchs. Both Mary Queen of Scots and her cousin Elizabeth I and many other well known people lie beneath the floors here. We really found this place interesting. It was great to see the Coronation Chair where the Scottish Stone of Destiny used to sit underneath and on which monarchs have been crowned since 1308. It really helped bring stories we had heard, such as its theft by three young Scottish louts, to life.

A few hours later we saw the light and exited stage left to Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament which is a very ornate building with millions of windows. I wouldn’t want to be a window washer there. I must say I am not sure what all the fuss about Big Ben is. It is just a clock – well, a bell to be more precise and a cracked one at that.

We then power walked across town to see Harrods. Apparently it doesn’t shut at five like we presumed so we didn’t need to race there. The shop is a rabbit warren and has this bizarre Egyptian escalator area with cheesy sphinxes. We couldn’t work out why a reputable high class place would be decorated in this style until we remembered Princess Di’s lover’s dad owns the joint and he is… Egyptian. This also explains why there is a Di and Dodi memorial on the ground floor. I am finally the proud owner of a Paddington Bear, bought at Harrods naturally – only twenty years after I first asked for one (a bit sad I know).