London

We arrived in London on Thursday after a flight from Dubai which I can only say was horrible for me. A migraine that prevented me from enjoying any sleep and then wasting most of our first day in London. Never mind it got me through customs at Heathrow Airport a whole lot faster so that was a positive thing.

While I slept the day away Peter walked along the Thames and over the bridges to get over being stuck in a plane for 8 hours. After finally waking up we went for a short walk along the Thames and this was the welcome to London photo, storms brewing and quite cool. As we sat down and had some lunch the clouds opened and we ended just getting wet as we walked back to the hotel.

The rest of the afternoon was spent sorting through some technical issues with phones and iPads and blogs etc. I know I should be enjoying my holiday not worrying about that stuff but I do enjoy doing the blog so it needed to be sorted out.

After dinner we spent a quiet night in looking forward to the Buckingham Palace tour the next day. 

We were up early to make sure that we had time to work out how to get to Buckingham Palace via the Underground using our Oyster cards. We needn't have worried as it was very easy. A few short stops and we were there. As we were so early a coffee was in order and then a wander around until it was time to go in. Another couple of attempts at selfies around the Victoria Memorial Fountain and we made our way into the entrance for The State Rooms Buckingham Palace Tour. Well us and 50,000 other people. There were so many people from all over the world milling around waiting to get in. The attendants at the palace clearly have the procedures downpat. Through the airport security scanner before making our way into the palace. I picked up an audio guide which was great as it gave you a lot of information about what the rooms were used for and how they play a part in the everyday life of the palace.

The Queen was in residence as the flag was flying at the top of the palace as we arrived. Very happy to hear that. I picked up an audio guide which kept me well informed about each of the rooms as you pass through them. 

The palace itself started as a modest house  called Buckingham House , then the Queen's House during the reign of George III and Queen Chatlotte. It wasn't until King George IV that the Queen's House would undergo a major transformation under the guidance of John Nash who had been working on the transformation of another famous building The Royal Pavilion at Brighton ( but more on that later) to eventually become the palace it is today. While he didn't complete it as he was dismissed after the King's death the essential style and workings were of his plans. It was eventually finished though many additions and redecorations have taken place in it's lifetime. Unfortunately you are not allowed to take photographs, which I certainly understand but it is hard to describe just how magnificent each room is.

As you go through there is a description of the room and the history of it starting with the Grand Entrance and Grand Hall, looking out over the Quadrangle prior to this. It is just magnificent to see the grandeur of even just the entrance and remember events I have seen happen in these very places. From there it is onto the Grand Staircase which was just beautiful. 

Form there you find yourself in a small ante room calle the Guard Chamber and onto the Green Drawing Room, the decoration of this room with green and gold silk curtains and valances is gorgeous. From there it is onto the Throne Room where many a Royal Family wedding picture has been taken, the most recent being of William and Kate and it does have thrones placed on a small platform that frame the room.

The Picture Gallery is next where originals of paintings which are part of the Royal Collection hang. This is a room that Peter liked the best. I liked the photograph at the end the most which shows Prince Charles and Princess Ann sitting on the floor reading a book surrounded by all these wonderful masterpieces. It was brilliant.

The next rooms were given over to the Chilhood Exhibition which showcased the life of the Palace and the Royal Family through items, photos and films of the families through childhood. This was the most lovely way of showing that the Royals are really just like any other family with favoured toys and clothes. I know some of  you will disagree but it did show them as children growing up just like any other except for the part they have to play as the Monarchy.

From there you are back to the rooms as they are, the Music Room is used as that or for Royal Christenings. The White Drawing room is another magnificent space furnished with intricate furniture made from veneered ebony but the highlight is that there is a secret door from the Queen's private residences into this room so that she can meet guests and dignitaries without having to meet anyone on the way.

From there it is down the Minister's Staircase into the Marble Hall which is filled with sculptures. The last room is the Bow Room which is used on a daily basis as a waiting room for the people receiving a private audience with the Queen or when she is entertaining heads of state.

Out onto the terrace for a walk through the gardens and you have finished. It is a truly beautiful building and I was so glad that we made the time to do the tour as it is certainly worthwhile. 

After we had finished our tour we went on a little roam around Hyde Park Corner and into Hyde Park. Hyde Park Corner has the Wellington Arch, the Australian War Memorial, Equestrian statue of Duke of Wellington, the new Zealand War Memorial, a statue of Lord Byron, Machine Gun Corps Memorial and the Royal Artillery Memorial.

With a short walk we were in Hyde Park, I never realised it was so big! We did a bit of a walk to find somewhere to have lunch and ended up at the Serpentine Cafe named after the waterway which was created for Queen Caroline in 1730.

A lovely lunch then back via the Vodafone shop to work out all these technology glitches. By this time it was quite late so we wandered home via the Founders Arms for a beverage and some rest for tomorrow our driving holiday really begins.