We were out the door at 9:20am to walk to Buckingham Palace, Gate C, for our pre-booked 10am tour entry of the Staterooms. I must have been feeling a bit too relaxed as we crossed the road along from our hotel, because somehow I caught my foot, stumbling forward over the edge of the gutter on the far side and sprawling flat on my face across the footpath. It was an absolute miracle that I didn't break my wrist, or smash my face. Somehow my right shin took the impact, and that didn't break either - that was my first thought, with a flashback to when I'd broken my ankle stepping off the plane 11 weeks earlier. Some tourists nearby approached us with horrified looks on their faces, and offered to help. David couldn't believe his eyes, but I was ok, not even winded.... Phew! I had a few sprays of a Rescue Remedy that I luckily had with me, and we continued on our way.
We arrived 20 minutes early for our tour but were able to sit down and wait, and actually ended up going through security early and entering around 9:50am.
We weren't allowed to take photos inside the Staterooms, and they were absolutely marvellous - brought alive by the excellent audioguide commentary and some video clips pertinent to what we were viewing. The whole process was extremely well-organised, and the people from the palace who were watching us were immaculately dressed and had beautiful manners. We spent about an hour and a half walking through the amazing rooms, and also enjoyed seeing the included large exhibition called 'Fashioning a Reign: 90 years of style from the Queen's Wardrobe'. There were many royal costumes (and hats) on display, from the Queen's christening gown, to some very glamorous ballgowns, and the stylish outfits worn on visits and tours. We had a relaxing coffee in the cafe at the end of the tour, then left through the Queen's beautiful park-like gardens also known as Green Park.
We arrived 20 minutes early for our tour but were able to sit down and wait, and actually ended up going through security early and entering around 9:50am.
We weren't allowed to take photos inside the Staterooms, and they were absolutely marvellous - brought alive by the excellent audioguide commentary and some video clips pertinent to what we were viewing. The whole process was extremely well-organised, and the people from the palace who were watching us were immaculately dressed and had beautiful manners. We spent about an hour and a half walking through the amazing rooms, and also enjoyed seeing the included large exhibition called 'Fashioning a Reign: 90 years of style from the Queen's Wardrobe'. There were many royal costumes (and hats) on display, from the Queen's christening gown, to some very glamorous ballgowns, and the stylish outfits worn on visits and tours. We had a relaxing coffee in the cafe at the end of the tour, then left through the Queen's beautiful park-like gardens also known as Green Park.
We returned to our nearby hotel to freshen up, grabbed some lunch at a nearby Pret a Manger, then headed into the depths of Victoria Station (right next door). David added a little to his Oyster card so we could head off to near Trafalgar Square to pick up the hugely discounted 10 day London Passes with Travel Cards/Oyster Passes we'd purchased before we left home. Then we used these to battle through the crowds in the underground and make our way to Kensington Palace for our first entry with the Pass.
It was pleasant walking through Hyde Park to get to the Palace - we hadn't seen that end of Hyde Park previously. It was very busy with people out enjoying the sunshine and warm temperatures (early 20s). However, at one point, there were also some arrogant (and old enough to know better) Arab children walking just ahead of us with their family, and kicking backwards with their feet on the sandy path and making huge clouds of dust behind themselves and in our faces - David called out for them to stop; they turned and looked at us, and then deliberately kicked back more dust before skipping ahead quickly.... their parents not paying any attention to the behaviour of their boys.
It was pleasant walking through Hyde Park to get to the Palace - we hadn't seen that end of Hyde Park previously. It was very busy with people out enjoying the sunshine and warm temperatures (early 20s). However, at one point, there were also some arrogant (and old enough to know better) Arab children walking just ahead of us with their family, and kicking backwards with their feet on the sandy path and making huge clouds of dust behind themselves and in our faces - David called out for them to stop; they turned and looked at us, and then deliberately kicked back more dust before skipping ahead quickly.... their parents not paying any attention to the behaviour of their boys.
We spent an hour or so viewing the different sections of Kensington Palace that are open to the public, and saw: The Queen's State Apartments (going back to Queen Mary, wife of William of Orange), the King's State Apartments, Victoria Revealed (the rooms Queen Victoria grew up in and aspects of her life including the death of her beloved Albert). We enjoyed much-needed cool drinks in the crowded cafe at the end, then viewed the Palace's Sunken Garden, and the nearby golden gates where flowers and tributes had been placed in 1997 after the death of Diana.
We traipsed back through Hyde Park and took the underground back to our hotel, arriving back around 5:30pm. We headed to the hotel's Grosvenor Arms bar and restaurant for some cool drinks (I enjoyed a White Russian) and then we had a lovely dinner. Note, before David orders a beer now, he asks if it's one of the cold ones - he can't quench his thirst with warm beer!
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