Despite our collective aversion to group tours, we booked into the Tower of a London VIP Early Access and Best of Royal London Tour commencing at 8.15am. We started at the Tower of London and enjoyed a tour of the centre and the Crown Jewels long before the masses of tourists engulfed the attraction. We witnessed the opening ceremony conducted by the Beefeaters. The Yeoman (colloquially known as Beefeaters) who did our introduction was a tad on the grouchy side and I suspect he had not yet had his morning coffee. After warning us of the perils of carrying valuables within easy access for skilled pick-pockets who frequent the area, he allowed us to roam free. Curious about the origins of the name Beefeater we were advised it was thought to be because the Yeoman's of the early days were paid in beef! The Tower of London has, like many historic landmarks of this city, an incredibly violent and dark history. After the Tower we hopped on a ferry and cruised the Thames in time to disembark and enjoy a walking tour through the Horse Guards to watch the traditional Changing of the Guard ceremony. Hundreds of people gathered to watch along with numerous police holding semi automatic rifles. The show was quite spectacular, with very disciplined soldiers and horses putting on quite a show. Certainly a very ancient tradition, it seemed a bit out of place in today’s modern world, but it certainly is a tourist attraction worth doing. After watching this display we continued our walk towards the Royal Mall and visited the site of St James’ Palace where Princess Anne currently lives, Clarendon House and finally Buckingham Palace. We were treated to a visit by a band of alleged pick-pocketers strolling though with little travel suitcases as they passed through crowds of distracted tourists, including us. With all our belongings in tact we continued on regardless. Once we arrived at Buckingham Palace four hours later, our official tour ended and as we were already booked in for the Buckingham Palace self guided tour an hour later, we headed towards the nearest cafe for some lunch. Finding a reasonable looking cafe/restaurant we were pleased to find an inviting menu and friendly staff. We were also entertained by another couple on the next table, who struggling with their English, finally managed to get the waitress to understand they wanted to take half their meal away for later. This was clearly not the usual practice and I am not sure the establishment were too pleased.
Buckingham Palace security was like going through the airport and it was a slow process, but I have to say very thorough. You will note there are only external photos from this part of our holiday as no photography is allowed once inside the palace walls. We were fortunate enough to be in town while the palace was open, due to the queen being away at Balmoral, and took the opportunity to look inside an authentic, working palace. Noted as the official residence of the monarchy since Queen Victoria’s time, it houses an extensive collection of art works and period furniture. We visited the 19 state rooms and were in awe of the opulent surroundings we found ourselves in. Her Majesty welcomes over 50,000 guests at state banquets, formal dinners, lunches, receptions and garden parties each year, while a further 500,000 people visit during the summer season. The palace has 775 rooms, which include the 19 state rooms we visited, 52 Royal and guest bedrooms, 92 offices and 78 bathrooms! Imagine cleaning all of these along with the 760 windows and 1514 doors. The gardens cover 16 hectares. I’m not sure how many staff are employed but I’d suggest, rather a lot. Our tour, with individual headsets took us over two hours, as we marvelled at the size of the palace and the attention to detail in each room. We entered through the Grand Staircase and followed in the footsteps of many famous and distinguished guests who have been invited to the palace. The Green Drawing room was next and this leads into the Throne Room, which we are more familiar with as it is the room where the official Royal photographs are taken for weddings. Walking into the Ballroom it is easy to imagine grand receptions being held in this place. We then went through to the State Dining Room, the White Drawing Room, the Bow Room and many more until we exited into the gardens to enjoy a cup of tea on the back patio with hundreds of our closest friends! The set up for the summer visitors is impressive in itself with marquees set up, including a gift shop, cloak room, cafe, and photo room for guests to relax after their tour. The staff situated along the way are a wealth of knowledge and happy to engage in conversation, so well worth stopping to chat if you have the chance.
Despite our reservations about doing a palace tour, we both left feeling pleased that we spent the money and took advantage of the opportunity. We may never make it back here again.
With our royal visit over, it was time to start our journey away from London towards Wales/England. The underground was hot and crowded but the trains were efficient. We only made one error during our change overs, but quickly managed to rectify the travels plans with minimal delay. Just after 9pm our train arrived in Gobowen and were delighted to see Charles who had come to pick us up. Returning to Ellesmere to the home of Charles and Karen was like coming home with a warm welcome and lots of stories to share.
Until next time,
N
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