ADVENTURES IN LONDON | PART TWO
Saturday - Day 3- Buckingham Palace, Horse Guards Parade, Big Ben
With another full day in London, I was excited to get back outside and explore more of the city. We visited Starbucks for our on-the-go hot beverages and darted between raindrops to catch the tube. Our destination was Buckingham Palace. I was surprised to see such a large turnout around the palace even as the drizzle outside remained steady. We wandered around taking pictures from different angles and soaking in the majesty of the historic palace. All of a sudden, the giant crowd made sense. The changing of the guard had started to commence. We saw the new guards riding in on horseback. Unfortunately, we couldn’t stay to see the whole experience. our son was getting antsy and with so many people he couldn’t run around. We escaped the crowds and ventured toward the park nearby.
We walked along St James’s Park and enjoyed a bit of nature after the morning on the tube and being surrounded by people at Buckingham Palace. The park was lovely, my son was able to chase birds and we all got a little bit of fresh air. All of sudden we stumbled across a large open space. I later found out that the space was the Horse Guards Parade. We didn’t go inside the amazing building, but he and I roamed the grounds. I was finally able to take pictures of him as he ran around and took in the sights of London.
After the Horse Guards Parade, we walked along a path toward Westminster Abbey, Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament. The Abbey was huge and looked like something out of an English medieval novel. I wanted to tour the famous church, but the line was extremely long and with my son’s lunch and nap time approaching I had to forgo the high interior arches and historic tombs.
For lunch, we backtracked a bit to visit a little pub we had spotted on our way to the Abbey. I wasn’t sure if it was okay for our son to be in a pub so I was understandably nervous as my husband ushered us inside. There did not seem to be a problem with a toddler frequenting the place and we were kindly seated in a little hidden corner booth. The pub was warm and we enjoyed a traditional English lunch. We were so cozy and we all felt so much better after some sustenance and refreshment that it was a bit disappointing to have to leave.
This day was one of the rare days when we didn’t return to our apartment for nap time. Perhaps a bad idea in hindsight, but it was a “make it work” type of day since there was still so much to see in the area. We returned to the front of Westminster Abbey and took in the magnificence of the church one more time before continuing toward Big Ben and the River Thames. I had seen photos before of the famous landmark, but in person, the tower was incredible to behold. I could not stop taking pictures of the House of Parliament and the clock tower. It was amazing. My son was asleep by this point so it gave me time to enjoy the scenery for a little bit.
We walked over the Westminster Bridge to see the London Eye and to find a location for books. I had read that near the Waterloo Bridge or somewhere nearby was a spot where used books were sold under the bridge. We didn’t quite find the location of this under-bridge readers oasis, but we did get to see an outdoor farmer’s market and see the Hungerford Bridge and Golden Jubilee Bridge. If I were to revisit London (and I am seriously wanting to) I would make time to do more of the little everyday things. Visit used book stores, shop at the farmers market, go inside great houses, visit local shops, etc. It is hard to resist all the touristy spots though. In reality, I would have to move to London to really soak up all that I wanted to experience. Hey, a girl can dream.
We finished our afternoon outing at Trafalgar Square and a stop at Caffé Nero for a little refreshment. We were all pretty exhausted and although I knew the square held great significance, I felt less excited when we arrived. The square was packed full of people, but there wasn’t a rally or anything going on besides a lot of people also enjoying a little midday respite. The National Gallery loomed majestically in the distance. A little less magnificent with restoration at work to the top of the facade, but grand nonetheless. After taking some photos, my husband and I decided it was best to return to our apartment and make dinner in our humble abode.
