England Days 5 & 6

We woke up this morning excited to see the Changing of the Guards. As soon as we left the apartment we were hit with typical English weather….rain!  We hurried to Buckingham Palace and got there about 15 minutes before it was due to start. Sadly we were met with a sea of people and UMBRELLAS! Any chance of seeing the Changing of the Guards was diminished by hundreds of umbrellas blocking our view. Caitlyn found an area that didn’t have many people and was able to wiggle her way in. I was standing next to a lady who was substantially shorter than I was. The tips of her umbrella were about eye level and truth be told I feared for my eyesight. I offered to hold her umbrella for her to keep her dry and she kindly accepted. It worked out great for both of us. She got to stand there for 45 minutes without getting wet, I was able to stay dry as well AND I got to keep my eyesight! We talked the entire time we were waiting. She was from Barcelona and visiting with her family. She was absolutely lovely and I really enjoyed our chat.

Me and Roset

Me and Roset

After we left Buckingham Palace, we headed over to the Tower of London and the Tower Bridge.

In the 1070s, William the Conqueror began to build the massive stone fortress  to defend and proclaim his royal power. The tower took about 20 years to build. It has been continually adapted and expanded over the years. When you think that there is 1000 years of history within these walls, it does make you wish they could talk.

We went on the Beefeater /Yeoman tour which was very informative and entertaining.  There are strict requirements to even apply to be a Yeoman and if they are one of the fortunate 38 that are chosen, they get to live on site (with their family). Their actual address is “The Tower of London”. How cool is that?!

We had fun trying to make the Guard smile. We weren’t successful unfortunately. I can only guess what they think about while they stand there expressionless for hours at a time. I am sure the phrase “stupid tourists” come to mind.

We got out of the rain and went to check out the Crown Jewels. So amazing to see the crowns, gowns and other ceremonial items of past nobility. A lot of the items looked really heavy. We giggled at the thought of a Queen/King dropping their orb or sceptre during their coronation because it weighed too much and their muscles gave out.

We decided to brave the weather and walk across the Tower Bridge. It was very windy, wet and cold but fun to cross.

We grabbed a late lunch, went home, changed and then went to see Wicked at the Apollo Theatre. It was absolutely brilliant. Caitlyn wrote a post about the show. You can read it here.

The next morning we got ourselves to Victoria Station to catch a tour to the Harry Potter/Warner Brothers Studios that are just outside of London.  As Harry Potter fans it was amazing to see the sets, props and costumes of the various Harry Potter films.

Below are some fun pics we took during our day…

Everyone loves Dobby!

Caitlyn was sorted to Ravenclaw. I was Griffendor.

Various sets.

Ready to catch the train to Hgwarts!

The train was actually life size.

I could drink Butterbeer every day.

Diagon Alley

The tour was a full day. We got back to our apartment, rested up and then went to our favorite pub. the Lord Wargrave for dinner again.  We are creatures of habit!