Thursday--Buckingham Palace & Hampstead Heath

My week in London was almost over and I had not seen Buckingham Palace until yesterday. Another London Walk was in order--this one called "The Forbidden City". Nothing like a bit of hyperbole to attract a few tourists! Helena, our guide, was a tiny woman with a huge knowledge of the areas we toured. She rattled off history and even a bit of "In Flanders Fields", John McRae's poem about World War I as we stood in the park across from Westminster Abbey. She was talking about the tomb of the unknown soldier in the floor and bordered by red poppies just inside the west entrance to the Abbey. All processions, even ones including the Queen, go around the tomb.

We did a bit of backstreet walking and listening--a much quieter place to be than the noisy area around the chapel--not just the usual traffic yesterday but an organized protest on one of the corners with the participants chanting and waving signs. I was too far away to tell what the protest was about.

Then we went to the Horse Guards gate and parade grounds where the changing of the guard was about to begin. The mounted soldiers proceed across the square and into St. James Park then to Buckingham Palace. I took a bit of video and this shot as they were about to march off.

We walked through St. James Park where the tulips were in full bloom.

As you would expect we heard many Royal stories about the palaces and other historic buildings near Buckingham Palace. I found out Her Majesty likes Earl Grey tea, as I do--we both have good taste!

After the tour concluded at the Wellington arch I went to Piccadilly Circus. A secondary mission besides sightseeing was finding a copy of the new Stieg Larssen book, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest. I was successful and found a copy at Blackwell's on Charing Cross Road near Leicester Square. Local merchants were helpful in pointing me in the right direction. I also saw Chinatown and part of the theatre district before heading back to Chalk Farm.

I wasn't done touring yet because I wanted to see Hampstead Heath, not far north of Steele's Road. I took a double decker bus up the hill through several nice neighborhood shopping areas before arriving shortly at Hampstead village. Walked into the Heath and spent around 45 minutes exploring and picture-taking. I only had to ask directions once to find my way back out. It is a huge park and many film and TV shoots use it for a location. Understandably so because of its ponds, fields and forests.

I came back to the flat and fired up the netbook. Found a couple of emails about the volcanic ash cloud that has shut down all the UK airports. I'm going to Scotland by train but have reservation to fly from Edinburgh to Paris Monday morning. Will have to keep an eye on the news re the cloud and hope I don't have to take the train back to London then the Eurostar under the English Channel to Paris.

Made email arrangements with one of my colleagues, Matt Grant, to have a pint after his work day and he graciously agreed to meet me at Sir Richard Steele's pub down the street from the flat. We raised a glass or three then he went home to his missus to watch the first Prime Minister TV debate. Cheers!