(Links to all parts of the series are at the end of this post.)
June 12, Wednesday
In the morning we went on a walking tour of London city. It was good, though a bit rushed. We saw quite a few important landmarks, which we have read and heard about a lot.
We started from The Ritz London and walked by the side of Green Park, a very vast expanse of greenery. It's one of the eight royal parks in London. It was originally part of the hunting grounds for Henry VIII and was later opened to the public in the 19th century. This was where a man named Edward Oxford tried to assassinate Queen Victoria in 1840.
We then saw (everything from outside, of course) the Spencer House, St. James's Palace, and Lancaster House. These are historic buildings in London, each with its own unique history and significance. Each of them reflects different aspects of London's architectural and royal heritage and showcases the city's rich history.
We reached The Mall, which is a one-kilometre-long ceremonial road with Buckingham Palace on the west end and Trafalgar Square at the east end. The surface is coloured red giving it the look of a red carpet.
It's an important driveway for royalty, ceremonial events, and visiting heads of state or government. It's also the starting or finishing point of running or cycling events. The opening ceremony of the 2019 World Cup cricket tournament was held here.
We were in time to watch the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace.
It is a traditional colourful event where soldiers from the Foot Guards exchange duties at Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle.
This colourful event, accompanied by a military band, symbolises the close relationship between the British monarchy and the armed forces. The ceremony has been a tradition since the 17th century. While the Household Division typically performs this duty, other units from the Commonwealth and the Royal Navy have also participated in the past.
We walked beside The Mall towards the
Buckingham Palace. This introductory para on the official website sums up it all:
Buckingham Palace has served as the official London residence of the UK’s sovereigns since 1837 and today is the administrative headquarters of the Monarch. Although in use for the many official events and receptions held by The King, the State Rooms at Buckingham Palace are open to visitors every summer. Buckingham Palace has 775 rooms. These include 19 State rooms, 52 Royal and guest bedrooms, 188 staff bedrooms, 92 offices and 78 bathrooms. In measurements, the building is 108 metres long across the front, 120 metres deep (including the central quadrangle) and 24 metres high.
In front of the palace is the Victoria Memorial, a grand monument dedicated to Queen Victoria. The entire memorial weighs a staggering 2,300 tonnes and spans a diameter of 32 meters (104 feet). The place is surrounded by a lovely garden. We spent some time walking around the place, clicking photos.
It's such a high-security place. We were told that there are hundreds of cameras placed all over the place and being monitored throughout. That's nothing surprising!
We then walked around St. James's Park and reached
Trafalgar Square.
The public square is named after the Battle of Trafalgar, in which the British navy defeated France and Space in the battle that took place off the Cape of Trafalgar in Spain.
We walked through Whitehall. That's the street, 0.4 miles (0.64 km) long, where a number of British government buildings are located.
This is one of the two mounted cavalry troopers of The King's Life Guard in front of the Horse Guard, which is the official ceremonial entrance to the St James's and Buckingham Palace and headquarters to the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment, which provides troops for The King's Life Guard.
Nearby, there is a street called "Great Scotland Yard". It was so named because that was the street where Scottish kings or their representatives stayed when they visited London. Subsequently, the headquarters of the metropolitan police was situated on the street, giving it the name Scotland Yard.
A little ahead is Downing Street, which houses the official residences and offices of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and the Chancellor of the Exchequer. It is called so because it was built by Sir George Downing, a soldier turned politician turned diplomat, in the 1680s.
A little ahead is the famous clock,
Big Ben, also called the Elizabeth Tower. Built in 1859, it has 11 floors and is 96 metres tall. To reach the clock, you have to climb 334 steps. The clock altogether weighs around 13 tons.
Nearby are the House of Commons, the House of Lords, the River Thames and the London Eye.
We headed to the BBC and later in the afternoon to Lord's Cricket Stadium.
(To be continued)
Here are the links to all parts of the series:
01 - Departure
02 -Dockwray Square, Tynemouth
03 - Cresswell Pele Tower
04 - Howick Hall Gardens & Arboretum
05 - Boulmer Beach, Zamorins
06 - Beamish Museum
07 - The Holy Island of Lindisfarne
08 - Linhope Spout Waterfall
09 - London, Wanstead
10 - London city
