Thursday morning we left the hotel and walked over to Buckingham Palace. The hotel is right next to the park and the path led us directly there in about 10 minutes! The Changing of the Guard started at 11:30 and we arrived around 10:45 and had to wait. In that period there was a rude family from Belgium. The children were jumping up and stepping in front of us with no acknowledgement we were there. There was a bit of pushing and shoving, and has been our experience with most European tourists since our arrival. The Beefeater band played ABBA and Broadway show tunes- which seemed a little to pandering to the tourists. I believe that this music should reflect traditional British culture- and I'm not talking about the Beatles!
We left early and headed over to the Tower of London. It wasn't the easiest place for Mama to get around, but we did go in to see the Crown Jewels and the place where Anne Boleyn was beheaded. There were many stairs and different levels, and they had a map that listed how accessible the buildings are. We ate right there at a tourist café because we were able to eat quickly and get beers.
Mama realized she didn't have enough pants, so we ended up at The Gap because she knew the pants would fit. They didn't have any chinos, but she ended up with a black pair and a khaki glen plaid pair. Seeing a Banana Republic she had to go in- I wasn't necessarily in the mode to go into American stores, so we headed out and walked down Bond Street back to the hotel.
Before dinner, we met a friend I used to work with, Kate Walmsley at Duke's for the best martini I have ever had. I'm not a martini drinker, but I could drink this one! Dinner was at Le Boudin Blanc with her husband Craig- it was one of the best French meals I've ever had.
Friday is going to be a big day. We leave at 8:15 am to go to Windsor Castle, Bath, and Stonehenge. And we aren't supposed to get back until 8!
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