guard comes from the resid
ence at St. James to Buckingham and officially "switches out" those standing post outside the front of the palace. When the Queen is in residence, there are four guards posted. When she is gone, there are only two. However, the Royal Standard was flying from the flagpole at the top of the palace, so some members of the Royal family were in residence.There are officially five different 
troops of footguards, and yes, they all wear bearskin hats. [This has been a source of controversy here as they are wearing real bear skin!]. The five guards are -
- Grenadier
- Coldstream
- Scot
- Irish, and
- Welsh
As the Queen is getting ready to celebrate her official birthday [next weekend, I think], we had a special tre
at and footguards from either Sri Lanka or Malaysia actually took over standing post. I have combed the Internet to get country confirmed and I haven't been able to find them, but their uniforms are great! They are wearing a green sarong around the outside of their dress whites.Watching the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace is particularly busy on any day. Add to that a sunny Sunday and you can imagine the crowds. You have to pick you spot. We chose to stand facing the square so that we could see the guards entering and exiting the courtyard.
After this, it was time to look for some lunc
h and make our way to Hanley's Toy Store. I guess until recently, it was the largest toy store in the world. Not sure how that is defined, exactly. I've seen some Toys R Us that are pretty overwhelming. At any rate, it is 5 floors, plus the Ground floor and Basement. It's got something for everyone.
h and make our way to Hanley's Toy Store. I guess until recently, it was the largest toy store in the world. Not sure how that is defined, exactly. I've seen some Toys R Us that are pretty overwhelming. At any rate, it is 5 floors, plus the Ground floor and Basement. It's got something for everyone.Day 8 - On Monday, we decided to split up. The girls wanted to shop, Mike wanted to sit in a centrally-located pub, and Mom & I wanted to see the Tower of London and Westminster Abbey. This is the first time I have been a "tourist" in London since I first visited in 2001. My visits since then have been from train stations, hotels and the office. I was looking forward to seeing new things.
By far, th
e Tower of London is the favorite thing I have done in Great Britain, to 
date. Though I can appreciate the abbey's and castles that dot the landscape, what I like about the Tower is that it is a "living" castle. It housed 500 years of the monarchy. The Queen still has a house there [and a guard] and the governor of the Tower lives there. The Yeoman Warders live there with their families.The Yeoman Warders are also known as the Beefeaters. The name is thought to have two origins, it is either from the French word, 'buffetier' whom were guards of French kings, or from when the Yeomen Warders at the Tower were paid part of their salary with chunks of beef.
In pr
inciple they are responsible for looking after any prisoners at the Tower and safeguarding the British crown jewels, but in practice they act as tour guides and are a tourist attraction in their own right. There are twelve Yeomen Warders, and recently, the first woman joined the guard. Their role is usually confined to the Tower of London. They will take part in Coronations where they form a guard of honour inside the annexe at Westminster Abbey.To apply to be Yeoman Warder, you need to have at least 22 years' military service; to have reached 
the rank of warrant officer; to have been awarded the long service and good conduct medal and be between 40 & 55 years old at appointment.
the rank of warrant officer; to have been awarded the long service and good conduct medal and be between 40 & 55 years old at appointment.Whilst we were at the Tower, there was a a 55 gun [cannon] solute over the Thames River outside of the Tower's walls acknowledging the 55 years since Queen Elizabeth II's coronation. We also saw the changing of the guard at the Queen's house. Just two footguards marched in, switched the guard, and two footguards marched out back to St. James.
We sto
pped for lunch below the Tower Bridge and then made our way to Westminster Abbey. This was my fourth attempt to see the Abbey and it was worth the effort. It really reminded me of visiting Vatican City, and I guess since it is the head of the Anglican Church, that would make sense. It is rich with history, tombs, kings and queens as well as statues, plaques and paintings that honor poets, writers, American Presidents, Prime Ministers, and so on. Westminster is the sight for royal coronations and funerals.And speaking of, Erin & Emily were amazed at how much Lynn and I could rattle off about the Royal Family, mostly Princess Diana as we had both stayed up all night in high school to watch the wedding, then all night the night she was killed, and then again when she was buried. They didn't get it, but we assured them someone would come along in their lifetime that they would pulled into the publicity and persona.
Day 9 - Time to head home. I left for a 530 train to get to Gloucestershire and the rest began their journey at 700. Mom wrote and rehearsed the instructions I gave. Taxi to Victoria Station. Gatwick Express to Gatwick Airport. Shuttle train to South Terminal. Get in line to check your luggage. They made it safely! And I took a nap!
G'night!
