My husband's warning came into my head as I started to doze off in the hotel room. Just five more minutes I thought to myself. It was 10AM London time, 5AM back home. I had barely slept on the flight. No wonder I was tired. At least I had survived the underground. Mainly thanks to the kindness of strangers, something I would rely on many times through this trip.
But I hadn't come to London to sleep. I sat up, grabbed my cell phone and camera and headed out the door. My hotel was near enough to Buckingham Palace, about a 15 minute walk. I didn't need a map to find it. I only needed to look down the road to see the royal standard flapping in the wind.
As I walked along the sidewalk, multiple souvenir shops caught my eye. William and Kate on every conceivable item imaginable. There were knockoffs of Kate's ring, knockoff commemorative coins, hats, magnets, and condoms. Yes, condoms - holy buzz killer! Heading further along I found a tea shop selling William and Kate tea bags, then the Buckingham Palace shop. Utopia for those searching for the tasteful items. The store was small and crowded and I hugged my purse close to my body lest I knock over something tastefully expensive. I made a mental note to come back when it was less crowded.
A few blocks down the road I finally arrived at Buckingham Palace. The Queen's Royal Standard on the flagpole. Beyond the imposing black gates an immaculate gravel forecourt. And there was the famous balcony. By this time the next day, the newly married William and Kate would share a kiss for the world to see. By the looks of it, I wasn't the only one imagining the same thing.
© Marilyn Braun 2011
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2 comments:
Glad you decided to attend the Royal Wedding. Facing Buckingham Palace I ended up on the right side of it, and was able to witness "The Kiss."I flew in from the United States with a friend and ended up connecting with other Americans who were also there. I met people who had traveled rom as far as Outh Africa just to attend the wedding. What an experience. I bet you are now glad you were there to witness history in the making! I retruned home to everyone wanting photos and some now wishing they had went along as well. Hope you had a blast!
Hi Denise,
Yes, I'm very happy that I went. Wish I'd had more time to sight see more!
I did not make it to Buckingham Palace to see the kiss - unfortunately. It was an amazing event and there was nothing like being there to soak in the atmosphere and watch history in the making. Other than the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, we won't see an event of this scale for a long long time.
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