October 3
We were up and out early (for us)
to ensure we got to Buckingham Palace in plenty of time to pick up our tickets
for our 10:15 entry. That meant getting on the Tube around 9. You couldn't imagine the numbers of people all walking very quickly and all, apparently,
going in the exact opposite direction we needed to get to. Once we got on the
train, it wasn't too crowded, but the walk through the station was the most
bewildering I've ever encountered.
One of the transit workers told
us to go to Green Park for Buckingham Palace, so that’s where we headed. We
discovered that the Green Park station is across from the Ritz and is at the
edge of Hyde Park. We walked through Hyde Park to get to the Palace, and it was
a lovely respite after the congestion of the Tube.
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| Hyde Park |
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| April at the gates |
Picking our tickets up with no
problem, we then had about 45 minutes before our 10:15 ticket time. The timed
entry was for the Queen’s Gallery. This Gallery typically shows paintings from
the Queen’s collection, but at this time the entire gallery was devoted to the
anatomical drawings of Leonardo Da Vinci.
I love Leonardo, but there are only so many drawings of muscles,
tendons, hearts, and skulls that you can look at!
When we were done at the Queen’s
Gallery, we headed toward the line-up for the state apartments. We were concerned that it would take a long
time to enter, but discovered that our “Royal Day Out” tickets allowed us to
enter at any time, so in we went, ahead of everyone queued up!
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| Buckingham Palace |
The tour through the Palace state
rooms was amazing. We weren't allowed to take any pictures, but we saw the
Throne Room, the East Gallery, West Gallery, Ballroom, Music Room, Great Hall,
the Blue and White Staterooms, and the State Dining Room, among others. The
paintings in the East Gallery were exquisite and I was thrilled to see Vermeer’s
Music Lesson on display. That makes five Vermeers that I have seen on this
trip.
Once the tour was over, we had a
sandwich and latte in the café overlooking the Queen’s gardens. We then headed
out of the Palace grounds on our way to Westminster Abbey. It is amazing how
quiet it was in the Palace gardens, just over the wall from the roar of London
traffic.
Once out of the Palace, we headed
up to the nearest intersection to try and determine where the nearest Tube
station was. April decided to ask a bus driver who told us his bus went that
way. On we got! April sat beside a woman who noticed our Buckingham Palace
bags, and she was happy to share her thoughts on the royal family when April
asked. She said she didn't mind the Queen, but didn't think the taxpayers
should be paying all the rest of the dukes and earls and whatever. Thanks to the advice from another woman on
the bus, we knew when to get off for Westminster Abbey.
We arrived at the Abbey around
1:15 and April noticed that the verger tour was scheduled to start at 1:30, so
we bought tickets. The tour lasted more
than 90 minutes – by far the best deal for 3 pounds that London has to offer!
He brought us all around the Abbey, showing us the most famous graves and
memorials, as well as bringing us into the private areas (for example, we went
behind the altar where William and Kate went to sign their marriage certificate).
We saw the area dedicated to science (Darwin and Faraday), that of musicians
(Purcell and Elgar among many others), and of course Poet’s corner. When the
tour was over, we headed to the Cellarium, the café now situated where the
monks used to keep their stores of food and drink.
We were getting pretty tuckered
out by now, but I had to find a carry-on bag to help reduce the weight of my
suitcase and hold my purchases. Off we went, looking for Trafalgar Square with
the help of the iPhone. We walked along Whitehall, past 10 Downing Street, and
saw the Horse Guards building. After checking a number of stores, I finally
found one that had a bag I hoped I could use.
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| Big Ben |
Back on to the Tube – this time tired
from a long day of trudging around, laden with purchases and it was 5 PM – rush
hour again! Fortunately the Tube wasn't as crowded as it can be, though we weren’t sure I would be able to get off at
Bank station as I was pinned in by so many.
Nevertheless, “Pardon me”, “Excuse me”, and “Sorry” – and I was out!
Back at the apartment came the
hard work – figuring out what we had bought and if it would fall under the $800
per person limit. At first I was
concerned that I was way over, but then I checked the exchange rates and I had
been over-estimating the exchange impact.
I still needed to ask April if I could use some of her allowance, but
between the two of us, we’ll be fine.
I called the driver who had
picked us up from St.Pancras train station on last Saturday and he will pick us
up tomorrow at 9:30 for the trip to Heathrow and the flight home. It has been a wonderful vacation, with
wonderful sites, excellent food, and 5 Vermeers!!!
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