Our Final Days in London

Tea for two (times 4000):

On Thursday, the Queen hosted a “Tea” for 8000 Brits, the first of four she'll do this year. Having missed the invite (no proximity to a proper toilet would have been a problem anyway), we took a stroll down the Mall where many party-goers, proud as peacocks, were to be seen. 

Hats off to the ladies:

Needless to say, hats at Buckingham were the order of the day.

And yes, everything you've heard about British hat fashion is true.



And, did you know that....

Buckingham Palace, 

the Queen’s official residence, was built in 1702 on the site of an infamous brothel. 

Today, Buckingham Palace has its own police station.

Paddle boating on the Serpentine:

O.K., we weren't punting in Oxford but we did spend a glorious afternoon paddling on the Serpentine, a 40-acre recreational lake, in Hyde Park. Although not the heart of the city (too many other attractions could dispute this claim), Hyde Park is the green lung, if not the oasis, of this bustling city...and a happy destination for thousands daily.

A pub on Fleet Street

And by the way:

Although the Thames may be London's most celebrated river in the city, it's not the only one.  London has submerged a number of its streams and rivers. 

The Fleet River - one of the capital's many buried waterways - still runs under the cellars of the Cheshire Cheese Pub on Fleet Street.

Trooping the Colours

Trooping the Colours:

Held in London annually in June on Horse Guards Parade, partly out of military tradition and partly to celebrate the Queen's Birthday, this A-Activity requires practice. 


After all, not only the Queen but the entire Royal Family will be present. 



Again, we received no invite but thanks to a reliable alarm clock and wonderful collaboration from the police, we managed to secure some fantastic vantage spots to watch the full regalia.

Only her highness herself, was missing.

What a hoot! 

Our chatty neighbor, a knowledgeable 84 year-old, informed us that he had never missed a "Trooping" since he himself had served in the army. 

He did make us feel a tad colonial....i.e. not cultured in the matters of the Queen and her armed forces but.... 

....his presence did enrich our day considerably.

Go away, horsey!

We met many that morning, including this constable.... a delightful person.... with an irrational fear of horses. 

Another female constable we met was sadly somewhat melancholy. She had just left her job with the “dog-unit” due to those famous cutbacks that seem to accompany any conservative government.

All in all, a fantastic beginning to a great day!

Next stop: Harrods...a Mecca?

Week-end shopping at Harrods could be considered a sport.

In that light, Linda and Rebecca are true athletes.

For those who aren't in-the-know, this very upmarket 5-acre-large (20,000 m2) department store, has over a million square feet of selling space with over 330 departments.

Yes, it is the biggest department store in Europe.

You might remember that Mohamed Al-Fayed, (Lady Di's boyfriend's dad) did own Harrods.

According to Al-Fayed, Harrod is a special place that gives people pleasure.

“There is only one Mecca.”, he said.

Then, in May, 2010, he sold it to a Quatar Government investment group. Go figure!

Our Last Sunday in London:

Sunday began nice and slowly. Breakfast, coffee galore, and then a small trip to Notting Hill. We did some research Saturday evening by watching the movie with the same name, starring Julie Roberts and Hugh Grant.

Hikers scaling over the roof of the O2 Center

Millenium:

We then hopped on the tube and went to Canary Island and all the Millennium Buildings there.

PHOTO BOMBER at O degrees Latitude:

Work of a photo bomber

Photo Bomber caught red handed

It just so happened that we were in Greenwich....
....where a photo bomber, having a "Mean Time", took over some of my pictures.

I wonder who that was.

Jeremy and I seized the opportunity to take The Emirates Air Line (also known as the Thames cable car), a cable car link that crosses the River Thames at the O2 center.

It was all part of a fabulous Millenium building project, completed in 2012, with sponsorship from the airline Emirates.

Instead of taking the subway home, we took advantage of a beautiful setting sun to enjoy an amazingly fun and exciting trip down the Thames.

Traveling at high speed, we enjoyed viewing some of London's most beautiful architecture along the banks of this historic river.

Imagine beating the traffic back to the city, all the while soaking up some fantastic views along the way!

One last look:

Rebecca and Jeremy were back to work on Monday so Linda and I took a trip down memory lane, revisiting Parliament, the South Bank, the Millennium Bridge (pedestrian) ...


....and of course, Saint Paul's Cathedral.

And finally:

A huge word of thanks to Jeremy and Rebecca for their incredibly generous hospitality. 

 It was such a blast! 


 A la prochaine!!!