I Saw the Queen Today...Twice
May 27th, 2015 — This post will be a wee bit short because I am feeling too lazy to make it super long. However, I do have fun updates about the past few days. Most importantly, I saw Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip, Prince Charles and Camila today. And it didn’t happen once. It happened twice.
Today was the State Opening of Parliament, which means the Queen’s Speech had to be delivered. My roommate, Jessica, and I left our flat in Camden around 9:00 to head to the Westminster Tube station. The station is right near Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, and Westminster Abbey. The roads were all blocked off and people were lining the streets.
We grabbed espresso drinks (black Americano for me) and then stood on Whitehall (the street in front of the Houses of Parliament) to wait for the Queen to come by. I left Jessica for a few minutes to try and find a trashcan and that was a struggle. London just doesn’t seem to have trashcans. I do not understand what Londoners do with their rubbish. I had to make a huge circle/square to go back to the location I purchased the coffee just to throw my cup away. Oh well.
Jessica and I stood in the second row of people in front of the silver railings. It was just like queuing for a parade in the States, except there were a lot of different languages being spoken. The women in front of me were speaking in both Spanish and English. One lady would speak in Spanish, and the other would reply in English. They kept talking like that for a whole hour. There was another language being spoken next to me but I don’t know what it was. The cultural diversity of London is remarkable.
The pageantry surrounding the Royal Family is so fun, if not a bit excessive. The regalia worn by the procession (I do now know proper terms) was astounding! Such vibrant shades of red and gold were all around. The horses were a deep shade of brown and they just towered over the police that stood on the streets. It was cool.
Just before 11:00, the bells at Westminster Abbey began to chime. They chimed and chimed until the Queen arrived. It took about 15 minutes. When the clock struck 11:00, Big Ben also began to join the chorus of noise. It was rather surreal. I couldn’t believe I was actually in London at that moment. Anyway, I saw Queen Elizabeth II riding in her carriage with Prince Philip. I saw Prince Charles riding with Camila. I also saw a carriage that was holding a special crown for the occasion.
After they passed by, I went for a long stroll through St. James Park where I encountered the procession again as they left the Houses of Parliament! I was again just two people deep and had a great view of everything again. My timing was perfect and I didn’t even plan it!
From St. James Park, I went through Green Park and into Hyde Park. I had my sights set on eating lunch at a restaurant in Hyde Park. I had my first experience with fish and chips and it was delicious. The batter was so crisp and the fish truly was flaky. It almost melted in my mouth. I was afraid that the fish would be…fishy. It was not. I will eat it again and again. I must say, bangers & mash and meat pies are still my favorite though.
After lunch, I rented a chair in Hyde Park for an hour. I sat and read Harry Potter some more. For those people who think London is just full of clouds and rain…you are wrong. I left Hyde Park with a bit of a sunburn. I have nice tan lines from my v-neck t-shirt and some nice pink to my cheeks! It was a lovely day. The park is so quiet. It’s amazing that London is 20% green space. You can walk from the hustle and bustle of cars, sirens, and the Underground and walk into another world filled with trees and wildlife. It’s beautiful. Hyde Park is better than I imagined. I cannot believe i will be seeing Taylor Swift perform there! Also, I was unintentionally wearing my Hyde Park lip pencil from NARS today. #perfection
Before departing Hyde Park, I stopped for ice cream. I had a scoop of caramel & honeycomb and a scoop of double chocolate. I enjoyed it while sitting upon a bench while staring at the lovely shades of green. My crappy words right now do it absolutely zero justice. I’ll be writing more about the topic in my “Writing the City” course and I will share some of that work as it progresses!
Since I last wrote, I bought my much anticipated Alexander McQueen scarf! I bought it at the boutique on Old Bond Street, which is FILLED with very fancy shops. It was crazy! Here are lots of pictures with me and my lovely scarf. I was even wearing it on my first trip to Nando’s. #sorrynotsorry
