One with the Royals!

So I suppose today was our first official day of class. We started the day bright and early and took a coach tour of London. Our first stop was Westminster Abbey, which I have been waiting in anticipation to see. Why you may ask? One. That’s where the monarchs are crowned. Two.  Kate Middleton and William got married there. Three. Diana’s funeral was there. Four. So many past kings and queens are buried there, as well as famous poets. So yeah, just the least bit excited! Our tour guide was Nigel and he was so friendly and nice! He knew so much about London history and quoted several famous poets.

In the Abbey, we saw where several monarchs were buried, including Queen Elizabeth II. Seeing all the super old monuments and casket covers was so fascinating. I’m pretty sure I could have spent forever walking around and reading every plaque. Thousands of individuals are buried and even more acknowledged in the Abbey. We walked by the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The tomb, which was the first to recognize the unknown soldier, is the only one that is not stepped on. Even when coronations and royal weddings take place, individuals walk around it and often acknowledge the grave. While we were there, there was also a group of medical military men who had recently won a very high award. I mean, ya gotta love a man in uniform! Back to the Abbey. We saw where Kate Middleton walked down the aisle and the rooms William and Harry hung out in before the wedding. So freaking exciting!!! We also saw that chair that monarchs sit in during the coronation ceremony. The chair is so old and is still used today, and I believe Nigel said it was the oldest piece of furniture still being used for its original purpose. It also had writing all over it, because it used to be out in the open and school boys would carve their names into it. There’s an interesting fact for you.  Sadly we are not allowed to take pictures in the Abbey, but we did get a few in the chapter room, where they had a picture display of the relationship between the current queen and Westminster. Westminster Abbey has several services, and I fully intend to go to one. On Sundays, I believe, they have evensong when the boys’ choir performs. I really really want to hear them sing! I love love love  choirs. A few more notable grave sites were those of Charles Darwin, and T.S. Elliot, and plaques for Jane Austen and William Shakespeare.

So after we exited Westminster, we got to see the West door, where none other than the royal family entered for the wedding. I stood where the royal family stood. No lie. It was great. At that moment, I didn’t really care if I looked like a complete tourist. I was excited. Then we got back on the coach and continued with our tour. We saw the best of London. Big Ben and Parliament and the River Thames. We also saw where William Wallace was hung, drawn, and quartered.

By the end of the tour, we were famished and we were dropped off in Trafalgar Square in search of food, preferably a pub. Somehow we ended up off the beaten path and found a lovely pub named The Princessof Wales. It had a bar downstairs and a small dining area upstairs. I had a the grilled chicken burger with chips (fries). Delicious! And our waiter was so nice!! Customer service is very different here and less attentive, but so far everyone has been so great!

Afterwards, we decided to make our way to Harrods, a huge department store in Knightsbridge. It is several stories tall with brands such as Gucci, Chanel, etc. High end stuff. For the jubilee, the store decorated their windows  with all kinds of British décor. They were so fun to look at, though pictures were difficult to obtain through glass. There was a lot of red, navy, and white. Tons of Union Jack flags and tea. They also had designers design crowns, which were also displayed. Those were fascinating as well. We didn’t come all that way to look outside only, so we made our way inside and checked out all the goodies. We even found the room where they sell chocolates galore. I mean thousands of different types of bonbons and truffles. We have decided to go back once and week and try everything!! They also had great jubilee chocolates, etc. So after walking through the chocolate menagerie, we were dying for chocolate and sweets. We took off in search of the bakery we had been chasing the previous night. And this time, we found it. Patisserie Valerie.  It’s was so delicious.

As the evening began to wind down, we went back to the flat and made some dinner, which mainly consisted of leftover cake. We spent the rest of the night watching British television programs, including some football (soccer) and reality TV.  So all together, a great day!

Week One: Day Four: BLC 4