Europe day 2

            It was off to the palace built in 1705 by the Earl of Buckingham and purchased by King George III (perhaps as a diversion from the original tea party folks in America).  It was not until 1837 that the royal family actually moved in, Queen Victoria being the first, after making sufficient modifications to suit her.  Outside there is an 80-foot tall memorial to Vickie which, by the time of our arrival, had attracted quite a crowd.

In marches the band

            We timed our arrival so that we would have a place near the gate to watch the main event of the day, the changing of the guard.  But for this 11:30 pomp and circumstance event, you had better come around 9:30, because at 10 the front-and-center spaces had all been taken.  By the time the bands began marching in from two different directions, thousands had gathered to watch the spectacle.  We did have a place by the massive wrought iron fence and were able to observe most of the show.

The real changing of the guard

            I was surprised at the musical selections played by the bands—with Michael Jackson tunes in the mix—but Tricia said that when she was last here, the performance included some Broadway hits, so she was prepared.  I was also not prepared for the speed at which the actual changing of the guard occurred.  You had to look carefully, as three guardsmen approached the lone guard, one of them sidled up to him, and then quickly, the old guard stepped aside and the new guard took his place in front of a little guardhouse.  That took about 2 seconds of the overall one-hour show.  Quite impressive!

Lunch with cousin Kara and Steve

            For lunch it was over to one of the many neat wood-paneled pubs to meet with Tricia’s cousin Kara and her husband Steve, a British IT pro based just outside London.  The couple had given up on children when Kara recently suddenly became pregnant at the age of 49.  They would not tell us how large a family they now planned to have, but we did decide that perhaps it’s not such a bad idea to have all your fun while you are young, and then have the kids around during your retirement.  You young people can decide for yourselves.

 Phone booth and Westminster Abbey

            We stopped by Westminster Abbey, where William the Conqueror was crowned in 1066, followed by every English sovereign since then (except for the murdered Edward V and abdicated Edward VIII), and where most of them who ruled from 1272 until 1760 are buried.  The guide books will tell you about the tombs, the many little chapels, the monuments, and all the glory inside.  But unless you are coming to worship, you will not get inside on a Saturday afternoon.  The view of the structure was impressive enough for us.

The tower with Ben’s bell

            Nearby, Parliament was not in session this Sunday afternoon, but we enjoyed roaming the grounds next door and walking around the 4 big clocks atop the huge tower completed by Ben Hall in 1858.  We were there long enough to hear the pealing of the 13-ton bell, which is actually the item named for Ben—not the tower or the clocks.  While we were there, we walked across the bridge over the Thames River, where there has been erected a huge Ferris wheel for the tourists, called the London Eye.  It seemed so out of place in this historic city; we decided to tour London at ground level.  Of course,the $48.00 per person price may have had some influence on our decision.

            We returned to our apartment late in the afternoon to rendezvous with our traveling companions, the Kisses and Mehtas, from which we headed over to Nopi Restaurant, where we enjoyed a wonderful Middle Eastern meal with Amita’s cousin Jeet.  We skipped dessert, but after the meal, Jeet mentioned an ice cream shop not far away and the entire group demanded to be taken there. OK, one of the group members demanded to be taken there.  Anyway, the amaretto and apricot flavor was sublime.  The ricotta chocolate and black pepper was pretty good, too.  Also, the ricotta and sour cherry, the benoni apple and nutmeg cream, the George Cava apple and sour cherry, the blood orange, and the fortune apple and almond ricotta.  Some of these the writer only sampled, mind you.  But it was a wonderful evening of gastronomic treats.

            Tomorrow, punting at Cambridge.

Charlie & Tricia

©2014