Buckingham Palace #3

Life has gotten a bit in the way of the blog for awhile, but we are back, and will be catching up on the happenings over the past month or so, and catching everyone up on what has been going on here in London.

As was seen a few weeks back Scott and Monica were here taking in a bit of London before they headed off to explore real Europe, and take in the fun and sun of Spain. Well lucky for them when they were here, half of Britain was on holiday, and that provided a unique opportunity to take in, maybe the most iconic of London's landmarks.

Every year the Queen goes away on holiday for two months or so, and they open up Buckingham Palace for visitors. Extra special this year was the addition of Kate's wedding dress to see and stare at. Tickets actually sold out for touring the Palace, something like 6 weeks in advance. I didn't quite understand how it was possible to 'sell out' a tour, but after seeing the #s of people going into the palace we figured out why.

Unfortunately for anyone who wasn't with us there were no pictures allowed inside, but let me tell you, it was quite impressive. The tour only went through what I estimate was a third of Palace, and everything was VERY impressive. Clearly it is a place where the World's most powerful are impressed on a regular basis.

Just about the only thing we that I can show you, is the throne room. And we can only show that because that is where the wedding party pictures were taken.
We watched the changing of the guard before we went on our tour. Scott was a bit impressed but more so confused. The band played ABBA during their march. Not regal by any sense of the word.

Views from the back of Buckingham Palace. No cameras inside, but they were more than happy to let us shoot the back yard.

Lots of mowing!!!

These were the lines waiting to go into the the Palace tour. You had tickets with a specific tour time, so it was packed like this all day long.

We stopped by the Prime Minister's house on the way to the Palace. Lots of guards and lots of machine guns. Still was really surprised how close you could actually get to the house/flat.

This should have gone on another post about signs, but since I saw it on the way to the Palace I thought I would throw it up here......We kept looking to the left but never saw any eyes walking that way.

Quiet Time

Alot of early morning bike rides since I have been here. Since the Sun comes up at like 4 and I don't 'have' to be to work till 9:30, I find that it works out good to squeeze in a ride if it looks like its going to be a long day.

Anyway, London is amazingly quiet early in the morning, especially on the weekends. I guess everyone is sleeping of their hangovers and such, there just isn't around. Not sure if its more quiet than Tulsa but the difference from busy to not busy is much more extreme. Its nice to be alone with my thoughts, and actually get a chance to look around and enjoy the sights of London rather than dodging traffic and pedestrians. The only drawback I have found is that I get some really weird songs in my head and just can seem to shake them out. Been stuck on Gaga's you and I for like a week.

This morning I went through Hyde Park past Parliament, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey Horseguards, Trafalgar Square and Buckingham Palace all in the span of 15 minutes or so. Would take hours in a car by midday.

Hyde Park literally just me and some birds,

and Buckingham Palace, just me and a random guy and some guards with sub machine guns.