Royal Rendevous

The best day of my life began early, as we had to get to our destination to secure our spot. What event were we rushing off to, you may ask? Why, the Trooping of the Colour. This event celebrates the monarch's birthday. Edward VII decided to move his birthday celebration to June because he decided the weather was more favorable at that time of the year, than when his actual birthday was. The tradition continued and now we have the Trooping of the Colour. So what happens at this event? There is a parade down the Mall from Buckingham Palace. The regiments of the British infantry walk in the parade, ride horses, and there are bands. At their destination the Queen inspects the regiments. So, now the exciting part. Besides the troops, the royal family is also in attendance. Hence, why we rushed to The Mall to secure a front row spot in order to see the family. And we saw them! This was literally the best day of my life. Prince Harry came by with none other than Kate Middleton and Camilla. And finally, THE QUEEN!!  She was dressed so lovely in yellow and was followed by Charles and William. So after they process, and do the ceremony, they come back down The Mall towards Buckingham Palace. Aka, we got to see them again! Coming back down the street. I was shaking. It was so great.

The regiments

Prince Harry, Duchess Kate, and Camilla

The Queen's Carriage

The family makes their way back to Buckingham Palace to go out on the balcony and watch the fly over. After seeing them for the second time, we took off in a sprint towards the palace. And we made it! We stood behind the gates and watched as the ROYAL FAMILY walked out onto the balcony (the same one where William and Kate shared their kiss) and waved to everyone. It was wonderful. I saw the entire royal family with my own eyes. I just stared. I briefly looked at the planes, but decided I didn't care as much about that. So I simply stared. It was like a movie. They are all just as beautiful in person. Just think, three monarchs (one present, two future) were standing on that balcony. And I saw them with my very own eyes. This was the best day of my life. I'm still in shock.

Between staring at the family, and not having a fantastic zoom on my camera. The following pictures are either ones I took or some that I stole from our group. (Thank you Emily Davidson) Only the best for you people.

Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip

The Royal Family!

Still in shock over here. I seriously can't believe this happened to me.

Afterwards, we needed food, as we were famished. We trooped around London to find a pub that could hold just a large group. We found a lovely pub, named The Three Crowns, and sat down for lunch. The kitchen was downstairs so they brought the food up on a lift thing. It was cool! I had a hamburger but it didn't really taste like American ones. They were healthier. Our next stop was Old Spitalfields Market, which is an indoor market. There were lots of vendors and stuff to look at. Perhaps I shall find a fascinator there.

Not ready to turn in for the night, Lindsay and I decided to see a show in the West End. The decided performance was Jersey Boys, which documents the legacy of The Four Seasons. We had an hour or so before the performance so we sat in a Cafe Nero in Soho and people watched. Soho is a very  interesting experience. Lots of interesting people. Back to Jersey Boys. For the past few months I have been listening to the soundtrack religiously and was extremely excited to see it. The music on the soundtrack is simply singles off old Four Seasons albums so one does not get a story line from the soundtrack. They did a really great job of integrating the story line in with the timeline that the songs were released. And the actors were great. It's crazy that there are enough people who can sing as high as Frankie Valli to fill this role. But this guy was great. I'm so used to the original soundtrack but I enjoyed his voice as well. We had great seats and sat fifth row back in the balcony, so we could see everything. I'm pretty sure we were some of the youngest people there. The majority of attendees were women in their 60s and 70s reliving their teenage years. They were dancing and singing the whole time. And swooning. You would have thought Frankie Valli was really on stage. Needless to say, I completely enjoyed the play and even teared up in some parts. I highly recommend.

So that was my Saturday. The best day of my life.

A note on Sunday. We had a lazy day in order to relax a bit before our internships begin. That's right, they begin tomorrow, so soon I will be blogging about my work days. Not as much fun as the royals I know. We did not want to stay in the house all day, so Lindsay and I made our way back to Primark to check out the shoes. Once again, it was a mad house. We also went to Notting Hill, not really knowing what we were looking for, but it was still a great experience. The neighborhoods in that area are very posh looking.

Week Two: Day Five: BLC 10