The changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace takes place every other day at this time of year. On Sunday I decided to head to Buckingham Palace to watch the changing of the guard. I had read that it was important to show up early as there were generally a lot of people who wanted to watch this event. The guards change at 11:15am. I thought that I would be at the gates about 10:30.
Although I arrived with plenty of time and found a spot right at the entrance gates, there were hundreds of people already milling about all over the grounds. The police were keeping everyone under control and ushering them to stand in the appropriate areas in order to leave a very large pathway for the guards. At 11:15, a parade of guards began marching from the Mall toward Buckingham Palace. There was a guard band playing and marching as well. The guards were flanked by police on horses. The procession entered the gates where I was in an excellent position to see them. After that, there was not too much that I could see as I was behind a hoard of people who were taller than me and everyone had their hands in the air recording the guard change on their iPhones. I could still hear the music which was nice.
Since I wasn't seeing anything up close, I decided to head around the grounds to tour and see what else was worth looking at at the palace. At about noon, the guards who were coming off of their shift along with the marching band exited the opposite gates and marched out toward their barracks. The band continued to play as they marched with them. The mounted police escorts lead and followed them once again.
As the crowds dissipated, I was able to more easily see Buckingham Palace and the two guards who were now standing in guard after the change. On Saturday, the bus guide had informed me that the hats that the guards wear are black bear fur from Canada! The men and women do look very impressive in their uniforms.
Adjacent to the palace was Green Park. London has a number of very large public gardens that people really take advantage of every day. I wandered around the park for a while. I crossed the park to a shopping district in order to get some supplies from Boots and then headed for a Starbucks.
Once I was suitablely caffinated, I headed back to Green Park. In Green Park, I found some gates that opened up to Buckingham Palace that were called Canada Gates. So, obviously, I had to take pictures of these. I don't really know the story behind them at all but It is always comforting to see a bit of Canada when I am away from home.
I continued to walk around the perimeter of the park. The park is beautiful. The trees are huge. There were kids all over the place who were diving and hiding in piles of leaves. It was awesome to see the kids having such a great time.
At one corner of the park was a newly installed war memorial. The memorial consisted of pillars that had the names of Commonwealth countries on them. These pillars were to commemorate those who had faught with Britain in past wars.
Farther up from this memorial was another memorial. This was a newly dedicated memorial to those who served in the air force. There were 6 large statues of men in various air force uniforms inside of this memorial. Canada helped to support the building of this memorial. It was very moving.
Next up for the day was a Political and Historical Walking Tour of London. We were to meet at the corner of Green Park. Our guide, Becky, met us there at 3pm. I am becoming a really big fan of walking tours. This was another case of an exceptional tour that lasted two hours. The guide took us through Green Park, the grounds of Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square, past the house of the Prime Minister at 1 Downing Street (where there was a very busy political protest happening), toward Winston Churchill's WWII bunker, past St. James' Park, around the grounds of Westminster Abbey, and finally left us a The Parliament Buildings. The clock tower was lit up as it was now starting to get dark (due to last week's time change) and the effect was really stunning. All along the route, Becky told us interesting stories about Kings, Queens, Prime Ministers, and prominent historical figures.
Even though it was Sunday, and my "usual" underground route was not in service, I was able to make my way home easily from Westminster Abbey to Aldgate East using my alternative route. I was learning!
What a great day out in London.
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