London Calling! Part Two

October 28, 2009

 

In the morning after grabbing our coffee and grabbing the metro, we headed straight for Buckingham Palace for the Changing of the Guard. There was already a ton of people crowding around the gates to catch a glimpse fo the feature, and it was an hour before the change. So we stood patiently and waited, till the changing commenced.

I never realized how long the event was, it was over an hour or so long. We watched as guards in pairs of twos walked back and forth from different parts of the gate, saluting with their saber then walking to the palace then saluting with their sabers. Lines of military guards stood at attention in front of the palace while other guards dressed in red marched by and played their instruments. It was drawn out, but it was amazing all the same.

After the change ended, we walked around the neighborhood and got a bite to eat at an Italian Sandwicherie. We talked over our toasted dishes and discussed what to do next. So after we ate, we headed to the metro and went to the Tower of London. We did not go inside, but outside was just as wonderful. Next to it we saw a part of the Wall of London, Roman defense system in the 400’s, and the London Bridge. It was wonderful to see such landmarks up close and personal that you only see in history books back home.

After walking around the area, we headed back to the metro and caught the line to the Bank of London. On the way there all I could think about was Mary Poppins. As we walked around outside of the bank, Katy was giving my first English History lessons. We discussed facts about the history of the bank, to the history of the monarchs, to the history of everything else in between. We walked down the street to where more of the large sky scrapers rested and we came across the gherkin, names after its pickle-like shape. We also saw the Monument, in remembrance to the great fire of London in 1666. Apparently, if you lay it on its side pointing away from the river, the tip touches where the fire started. Cool fact.

As we headed back to the dorm, I saw I had a missed text message from Emilie, my boyfriend’s sister. I opened it up to read that she and Pilou, her husband, were offering me a birthday gift of seeing a Broadway show if my choosing while in London. Ecstatic, Katy and I did research one shows playing for that evening, then put our game faces on to watch the Phantom of the Opera. I was so excited and we had pretty good seats, though there was a huge man sitting in front of us. It was by far one of the best gifts to ever get for my birthday and an awesome way to end the day.