Rained overnight but looking good this morning! Overcast when we headed to Buckingham Palace but sunny later in the day. Website said Sunday changing of the guard was at 10:45. We were there by 10 and had a nice spot right by the fence.
(About the photo at top right: I was trying to take a picture of the gate and saw that there was a big line of people waiting to take their picture in front of the gate. This couple was doing a major photo shoot, having some random guy take their photo then looking at it and suggesting other angles, etc. Annoying Americans probably. But I digress.)
Then we saw this🤯:
Guards called in sick on a Holiday weekend? (Monday is a bank Holiday here.) Whatever!
We had timed it so we’d watch the guard change and then go through the Royal Mews with timed tickets at noon. Luckily we decided to see if we could exchange our tix for an earlier time, and we got right in!
Karen Hobbs suggested the Markets and the Royal Mews (thanks!), where the King/Queen’s horses and ceremonial carriages are housed.
Why Mews? When hawks and falcons lose their feathers seasonally they “mew”. King Richard II was the first to combine his hunting birds with horses, and this location became the Royal Mews. (You’re welcome at your next trivia night!)
Below is the harness room, the carriage that carried Royal children pulled by a donkey, yours truly practicing my Royal Wave, and many of the costumes worn by Coachmen.
There were a bunch of coaches, here are a few: The Glass Coach carried Queen Elizabeth and Queen Elizabeth II from the palace to Westminster Abbey for their weddings.
For Alice Brooks: the Irish State Coach originally exhibited in Dublin caught the attention of and was purchased by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. When she was proclaimed Empress of India she added the frieze to the top of the coach.
The Diamond Jubilee Coach (and a look inside) is the newest in the collection, constructed to take Queen Elizabeth from the palace to Westminster Abbey for the ceremony.
The Gold State Coach was commissioned in 1760 for young King George’s coronation but took 2 years to finish. It wasn’t used by him until 1762 at the opening of Parliament. Over 270 years old, almost every surface is covered in gold leaf. It has been used by the last 7 Kings and Queens for their coronations.
Then we walked back to our place up Piccadilly by way of Green Park.
Entrance to Hyde Park:
Entrance to Green Park. They were selling art all along the wall of the park.
On the walk back we stopped at The Clarence pub for Fish & Chips (Dave) and Chicken and Chorizo (me) for a big lunch. Snacking only later (maybe). Lots of roads were closed between Green Park and Piccadilly Circus for a bike event.
We walked home then for a rest and decide what to do next. We’re only at 11,000 steps so we’re obviously not done.
Trying out the laundry situation at our flat. It’s a combination washer/dryer. Washer took over an hour. Drying apparently will take 3 hours. (What else are we doing?) I always wondered how these combination machines worked. Turns out, this one really doesn’t. After 3 hours and an extra 48 minutes, our clothes were very damp, but very hot. They are now hanging all over the room to dry.
Our big lunch has worn off so nevermind that snack thing. Tried to travel to a Tapas place Brian and Rachel suggested but they’re closed on Sunday. So, a different traditional British dish: Smoked Burrata and Neapolitan pizza. And Tiramisu happened. And wine.
The pizza place was the other direction from our flat that we hadn’t explored yet. Found a few interesting things, including this. They were closed so we couldn’t stop in for our personality audit.
In for the night at 9 pm. This 3-flight walk up thing is getting old now. Light day today: only 14,600 steps.
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