London, as seen from a bus, is not as glamorous as we had imagined. We were driven through the streets of London catching glimpses of buildings from the coach. Our first stop was at St. Paul's Cathedral. You might have seen this church before as this is where Prince Char
les and Princess Diana were married (her and her 25 foot train). The church stands in honor of the people faught in the great wars of old. A stain glass window can been seen showing gratitude to America with symbols for each state. We then made our way to where two guards were stationed outside a closed gate leading up to houses of royalty. We were able to take a picture with them trying to be as serious as possible. At last we were able to see Buckingham Palace from a distance and snapped a few photos. For lunch, Ashlee and I grabbed a bite to eat in the back of a department store (Marks and Spencers) getting away with two bags full for only 8 pounds. After lun
ch, we boarded yet another bus and prepared for our tour of the Palace. We started off in the Royal Mews where the Queen's horses and carriages are kept. One horse drawn carriage had power windows and heating for the winter. The magnificant golden carriage (only used for coronations and also for the Queen's 50th anniversary of her reign back in 2002) was magnificantly gold and huge. It weighed a tremendous amount and can only be pulled at walking speeds (Ashlee was glad that Elizabeth took such good care of it for her). Later we made our way in the palace and Ashlee felt great to finally be at home. The place was a massive home and made for royalty. Leaving the palace and our group behind, we got on the underground (as we found ourselves doing that a lot the last two days) and made our way over to the London Eye (the largest ferris wheel in the world). It gave us a great view of the city and a relaxing 30 minute ride (30 minutes to go around one time). Later came Trafalger Square when we sat outside on the steps and watched the Olympics on a large screen. The evening came to a close with buying another suitcase (we were running out of room) and a few sad goodbyes. Unfortunately we were not able to say goodbye to everyone because we were on our own the majority of the time in London. We retired for the night ready for one last full day in Europe.
les and Princess Diana were married (her and her 25 foot train). The church stands in honor of the people faught in the great wars of old. A stain glass window can been seen showing gratitude to America with symbols for each state. We then made our way to where two guards were stationed outside a closed gate leading up to houses of royalty. We were able to take a picture with them trying to be as serious as possible. At last we were able to see Buckingham Palace from a distance and snapped a few photos. For lunch, Ashlee and I grabbed a bite to eat in the back of a department store (Marks and Spencers) getting away with two bags full for only 8 pounds. After lun
ch, we boarded yet another bus and prepared for our tour of the Palace. We started off in the Royal Mews where the Queen's horses and carriages are kept. One horse drawn carriage had power windows and heating for the winter. The magnificant golden carriage (only used for coronations and also for the Queen's 50th anniversary of her reign back in 2002) was magnificantly gold and huge. It weighed a tremendous amount and can only be pulled at walking speeds (Ashlee was glad that Elizabeth took such good care of it for her). Later we made our way in the palace and Ashlee felt great to finally be at home. The place was a massive home and made for royalty. Leaving the palace and our group behind, we got on the underground (as we found ourselves doing that a lot the last two days) and made our way over to the London Eye (the largest ferris wheel in the world). It gave us a great view of the city and a relaxing 30 minute ride (30 minutes to go around one time). Later came Trafalger Square when we sat outside on the steps and watched the Olympics on a large screen. The evening came to a close with buying another suitcase (we were running out of room) and a few sad goodbyes. Unfortunately we were not able to say goodbye to everyone because we were on our own the majority of the time in London. We retired for the night ready for one last full day in Europe.
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