It would have been nice to sleep in (or have "a lie in" as the English say), but we needed to be at Buckingham Palace ("Buck House" to the locals) in time for the changing of the guard. I think we
both feel pretty at ease on the Tube system now, so getting places is really not too worrisome. Getting somewhere on time... we'll we've cut it close a couple of times. The changing of the guard is done every other day during the winter months at 11:30 a.m. We arrived at the gates of the palace at about 11. There was, of course, already a decent crowd waiting, so we snagged a spot along a rope, unsure about whether we would actually see anything from where we were standing. For those of you Disney war veterans out there, it's a lot like waiting for the "Remember" fireworks to start on a semi-busy night. You have to defend your position. There are people from all over the world, and not all cultures have the same respect for personal space. That's all I'm going to say. So eventually one part of the guard came marching in near the gates we were standing at, and then the crowd moved en masse from the ropes facing the square to the gates of the palace. I couldn't really see much, but I could hear the sounds of orders being shouted and marching feet. Then we heard the music of the marching band approaching from 
the square, and again people left their spots by the gate to rush to the other side of the walkway. I took the opportunity to take one of the newly vacated spots at the gate. People who have been with me during the fireworks know that I usually find a decent, but not uber fantastic spot, and just deal with it. Not this time, oh no. Every time I found a hole in the crowd I pushed through it until I had a decent enough spot fairly close to the gates. I totally left Emma on her own as I wiggled through the crowd. I did end up next to two obnoxious young Americans who made dumb and slightly rude comments throughout. *Sigh*It was all very interesting... until the band started to play. I was expecting "God Save the Queen" or "Rule Britannia." Then I heard the opening theme to "My Fair Lady."
Showtunes...really? At that point Emma and I decided that we didn't really need to stay for the rest of the ceremony if we were going to be listening to the Best of Broadway. So we headed out. Actually it was good timing as the soldiers passed us again as they marched away.Then we headed off to Westminster Abbey and Big Ben/Houses of Parliament. I was a little surprised to see that they are directly across the street from each other. That made it convenient for sightseeing, and very cool to stand on a corner and see Big Ben in front, and Westminster Abbey on the right.
Westminster Abbey is beautiful. Writing about it won't do it justice, and photos are not allowed
inside (the attached are just internet links). A little history, because you know, that's what I'm about. The first abbey in that spot was built by Edward the Confessor in the 10th century. I believe that the current building dates to the 12th century or so. The architecture and statuary were amazing, but what I was most fascinated by were the tombs of the Kings and Queens of England. Most interesting tombs to me: the Shrine of Edward the Confessor (hard to see because it is "fragile" and area is off limits), tomb of Edward I "Longshanks" (the hard-ass king from Braveheart), Henry V, Edward VI, Henry VII and his wife Elizabeth of York. I was most fascinated by the tombs in the Lady Chapel.Queen Elizabeth I and her sister Mary I ("Bloody Mary") are buried together, despite the
friction between them in life. One of the inscriptions on the tomb was very beautiful, "Partners both in Throne and grave, here rest we two sisters, Elizabeth and Mary, in the hope of one resurrection." Nearby is the "Tomb of the Innocents" where the bodies believed to be of the Princes in the Tower are buried. In another part of the Lady Chapel is the tomb of Mary Queen of Scots, who was sadly buried next to the tomb containing both the remains of her mother-in-law, the Countess of Lennox, and the remains of the husband that Mary was accused of 
murdering, Lord Henry Darnley. How cruel is fate that these three people must spend eternity next to each other?Anyway, enough of the history lesson, I suppose. I was a little disappointed that there were so many tombs that did not have any explanation about who they were for. After I left I discovered that there were tombs of so many more people that were of historical significance to me. But they weren't on the audio tour. Oh, well, guess I'll have to come back another time ;)
So Emma will cover our activities for the rest of the day.
~Lizzie~
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