It wouldn’t seem right to visit England without seeing London. We arranged to spend two nights at the Premier Inn at London Heathrow Terminal 4 in order to afford us one day in London. We took the Underground to Hyde Park. Our goal was to get to Buckingham Palace by 11 a.m. to watch the changing of the guard.
Wow. I do my best to avoid crowds. This event is all about crowds. Perhaps we should have arrived earlier, but even so, where’s the best place to watch the event? Once I got over my initial disappointment over securing a vantage point, I decided that the people were part of the story. I pulled out my Sony RX100 and started experimenting with some intentional camera movement. I think these images capture more of the feeling of the event. Throngs of people, many with their smartphones poised to capture photos. The changing of the guard dates back to Henry VII (reigned 1485-1509). We were surprised at how much music was involved with a mix of traditional and popular tunes.
Then we were off to see Westminster Abbey, although with the dispersing crowd it took a few minutes to navigate our way. We were lucky to be able to buy tickets for an afternoon tour, and we added a visit to the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Galleries located high above the Abbey floor in the beautiful 13th century triforium. Photos are not allowed in Jubilee Galleries; however, Joann was able to capture a view out the window as we climbed down the stairs.
Since 1066, Westminster Abbey has been the location of the coronations of 40 English and British monarchs, and a burial site for 18 English, Scottish, and British monarchs. Quite a bit of history here with exquisite architecture.
After visiting the Abbey, we took a walk past the Tower of Big Ben and across the Westminster Bridge over the River Thames. Then it was back on the Underground for the return trip to our hotel.
More photos are available in an online gallery.
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