After a quick breakfast it was off to tour Buck House on a day when Will and Kate announced another little one would be roaming the halls soon. Buck House is the local's name for Buckingham Palace I am told, as the queen was kind enough to spend a couple of months in Scotland (maybe soon an independent country) so we could take a tour. Now a full quadrangle, we soon learned of the numerous renovations and expansions that were performed to give it today's look. We entered as ambassadors would, and then wandered the halls of the state rooms, awestruck by old masters paintings, sculptures, decorations, thrones and royal gifts. Highlighted were the children's lives, with toys, clothes, and a film of Little House, a gift to Elizabeth & Margaret from the people of Wales & played with by generations of royals. Also highlighted was NO PHOTOGRAPHY, so this is all we have to show. This is the back side as we exited.
After lunch we toured Westminster Abbey, described as a coronation church yet still offering daily services. The tour quickly showed that it is also very much a burial church. And again, NO PHOTOGRAPHY. We took a verger-led tour where we viewed the coronation chair (last used in 1953), the tomb of the unknown soldier, and the crypts of numerous kings and queens, and famous scientists and writers, among others. We also sat in a pew only a few feet from where Kate and Will recessed after becoming man and wife, as many royals have done before them in this same church. We also visited the chapter house (a beautiful round room surrounded in stained glass used for church or political meetings) before having afternoon tea.
The last planned stop of the day was the Dennis Severs house in Bishopsgate. We were told at the front door that we should sense the tour at our own speed, and were asked not to talk at all as we wandered through the 8 rooms plus a basement spread across 5 floors. It was ... different. An eclectic combinations of furnishings, it was left to look as if someone had just left the room, even though the room looked centuries old. Lynne seemed to get a bit more out of it, and lots of Trip Advisor guests seemed to love it. Not my cup of tea.
A quick stop at Hamley's, England's version of FAO Schwarz, and then we headed in search of a pub. We found a charming one surrounded on all four sides by progress, but it was a bit too small. A quick dinner of pie and prawns at Henry's just down Piccadilly Ave from our hotel, and we called it a day.
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I think Farley posted that one! Well done. :)
ReplyDeleteYes, Farley likes to draft the text, then I proof, add pics & post. I may get to write one or two more before we leave though.
ReplyDelete