Buckingham Palace

This post is late.  

I've been having internet issues.

I hope to get caught up with my posts shortly.

I'm late with this photo,  While at Hampton Court I chanced upon the shop run by the Royal School of Needlework.  I couldn't walk way from there empty-handed now, could I?

Today was a different kind of day.  

We had tickets for Buckingham Palace, but were not able to get all three tickets for the same time.  So Mom and my sister took off this morning, while I ran some errands.

 Running errands in London, means lots of Underground trips – at least for me.  Charing Cross Station had a nice display of posters.  I just wish I could have taken photos without the glare of the overhead lights.

 Embankment had not one, but two of these little kiosks on the platforms.  They sell cigarettes, magazines, and candy – lots of candy!

In the afternoon I headed over the Buckingham Palace.  For the month of August, while Queen Elizabeth is up in Scotland, it is possible to tour the State Rooms.  And that’s what I did.  Of course it was a NO  PHOTOGRAPHY tour.  All I can say is that each room was sumptuously decorated.  Amazing ceilings, furniture, paintings and furnishings.  I cannot imagine living and entertaining in that fashion.

In addition there was a special exhibition of Queen Elizabeth’s Coronation as this is the  60^th anniversary.  A great exhibition with no holds barred – QE II’s coronation gown with its incredible embroidery, the regal purple robes, the crown.  Anything and everything to do with the Coronation was on display – the invitation, suggested dress hints, the program, the regalia, and photos – lots of photos.  I quite enjoyed that.

Lastly, I was part of a 45 minute tour of the Palace Gardens.  They are quite large – 36 acres so I had high expectations.  I admit to being disappointed. Once again there was no photography allowed – but there was not all that much to photograph either – a tea room, a small rose garden, a tennis court. The gardens and palace are surrounded on all sides by large noisy streets.  Even though they’ve done their best to mask the noise and outside world, I found the gardens to disturbingly noisy.

Even the Palace gift shop is cashing in on the birth of Prince George! 

I thought that the plush corgis were by far and away the cutest things for sale.  Just don't know what the cats would think if I brought one home!

In the evening the three of us took a walk along the Thames and had dinner at Gordon Ramsey’s restaurant, The Narrow. The food was okay – not but not great.  Honestly for £20 I expected my piece of plaice to be boneless – it wasn’t.