The alarm didn’t go off this morning, so we got a little bit of a late start. We are, however, getting used to where we are in relation to everything, so we were able to walk to Trafalgar Square, then down the Mall to Buckingham Palace. We actually timed it perfectly and arrived when the horse guards were riding down the Mall to the Palace. Shannon was excited and I was happy to be a part of that with her. We walked with them to the Palace, but it was mobbed. Shannon didn’t really get to see the actual change, but I was able to record it with a selfie stick that we bought in Barcelona, so she will see it later. We were fortunate, however, to be at the correct side of the palace to get a good shot of the guards. We wanted to go to the Queen’s Gallery, but the line was so long that we decided that it wasn’t worth it. We walked a little bit then stopped. Off at a cute cafe called Cafe Bella Maria. We’ll be headed off soon.
We walked through the newer area of London to Westminster Abbey and bought a ticket to get in. It took maybe 2 minutes and got a free audio guide. We walked in just as they were saying a prayer for animals. They have prayer every hour. The audio guide was good and we saw the tombs of some really amazing people – such a Darwin and the tomb of the unknown soldier. There is a poet’s corner where we also aw Chaucer’s tomb and a memorial to Shakespere. We also saw the coronation chair, which actually looked pretty plain. We then walked towards Parliament and Big Ben, but decided to walk across the bridge to get tickets for the London Eye to use later. We were shocked to learn that there would be only a 10 minute wait, so we went ahead and purchased our tickets and then got on. There were probably 8 people total on with us, so it was really nice. We bought a map of the area, so we could pick out things as we went along. It lasted about an hour and it was almost as if we weren’t even moving. Afterward we went to the 4D show that lasted about 10 minutes. I always wondered what 4D was — now I know — 3D with some special effects in the room with you, such as lights or water being sprayed on you. It was actually pretty good.
After that we turned on Google Maps and plotted our way home – only a little over a mile, so we walked. We walked across the bridge and down the Queen’s Walk. Our landmark is always Trafalgar Square, so it is easy to get around. We noticed that we would be walking right by Number 10 Downing Street. We saw the gates to the street and made a stop. I remember when you could walk right by, but now they have it guarded by police with guns. We talked to them and they told us it had been gated off since 1989. I took a picture with Shannon and the police. They were very nice. We walked on back home and now Shannon realizes that the premiere for Deep Water Horizon is tonight and Dylan O’Brien will be there. I suppose we will have to go.
lynntclarke 