I almost feel like there was a stigma against Megan and me, since we arrived so late; it was almost as if we were deemed to be already too far behind to catch up. Therefore, we went kind of out of order with our sight-seeing, and visited Buckingham Palace last. I don't know how it happens, though, but I always seem to be in the right place at the right time. The day that we chose to go visit the Palace also happened to be the day that the Prudential Ride London finished, crossing the finish line in front of the Palace! Prudential Ride London apparently used the same route of cyclists of the London 2012 Olympic Road Cycling Races, and it was about 100 miles long. I don't know what it is about events like this, but I love watching road races and supporting the athletes. Maybe it stems from running in road races myself, and that running bond, but it just makes me really happy to see other people out and enjoying themselves competitively. For instance, I was lucky enough to be present in Chicago last fall for the Chicago Marathon, and even though I went for a totally different reason, that remains my favorite thing about that trip. I just love the energy of the crowd and of the athletes. It also made me really wish that I could have participated, but that's a dream for another time. Coincidentally, that was the whole reason that I signed up to do that City Jogging Tour that I did, because I wanted to run a race or something while in London. I found out afterwards that the Color Run was also during my stay in London, but those events are so popular that it was guaranteed to have sold out before I had even heard of it. I remember being on the tube and seeing people wearing the color run shirts while they headed to the starting point, and I remember being so envious. I would have loved to participate in a British Color Run, if only for the fact that their shirts probably would have read "colour." However, upon closer inspection, I discovered that it was actually spelled the American English way on their shirts! I can't be sure, but I feel like that would have really irked the Brits, according to the stereotype that we've ruined their language.
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| How exciting! |
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| Bikers! |
Anyway, once we figured out how to navigate around the event, we were able to access Buckingham Palace. Unfortunately, they didn't allow photographs inside of the Palace, otherwise I probably would have had another whole album on Facebook ( to give some perspective, they limit 1,000 photos per album . . . I have three ). Although again, I was fortunate to be in the UK at the right time. The Queen was coronated in 1953, so the Palace was all decorated to celebrate the sixtieth anniversary. That alone just boggles my mind. For two generations in my family, there has only been one Queen in our lifetimes. I can't imagine how the world will react when someone else assumes the throne. I can faintly remember the reaction to Princess Diana's death ( though obviously those were very different circumstances ), but it's crazy to think about. They had a myriad of things on display, like the iconic photograph of the Queen on coronation day, as well as various outfits, like the Queen's stunning dress, as well as those of her "bridesmaids" ( literally, she was married to the state. Wow. ), and other members of the royal court, like a Duke. They also had some of her jewelry worn that day, and after visiting the Tower of London, I can say with certainty that they rivaled the Crown Jewels. Obviously not in historical value, but monetary and aesthetic value. I can't imagine being 27 and wearing all of those weighty pieces of jewelry.
Perhaps the best part of my day ( this is an exaggeration ) was visiting the Queen's Gallery, the gift shop connected to Buckingham Palace. It's where I picked up one of my favorite souvenirs!
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| CORGISSSSSS |
I was glad that I had found something that I could take back with me, and look on fondly as a memento of my trip.
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