People say the best way to explore London is to walk. Don’t be tricked by the number of tube stations situated in Central London (Zone 1) cuz in actual fact, they all within walking distances. Over the past few weeks, I have been able to take some time to walk around and find out where everything is… I have also joined along to some “London Walks”. This company operates mini walks around London on various topics and they normally take around 2 hours.
I think it is a superb way to really understand London and its history cuz the tour guides really know their stuff. I have learnt a lot from these walks and is beginning to appreciate this city more.
So on my first walk, we met at Green Park and walked to Buckingham Palace in time for “Changing of the Guards”. I’m lucky I chose to come with a tour group cuz they knew exactly where we should stand to get good views. If not, I’ll probably be looking at someone’s back for the whole time and not really see the guards themselves.
At Green Park - you actually need to pay money if you wanna sit on these seats.
We stood on the side of the road, away from the Palace... such good views!!
Tom, our tour guide, explained about the process when changing guards. It is done on a daily basis. Each guard would be on shifts for 2 hours and then break for 4 hours. The funniest fact that he told us was with those furry tall hats that the guards have to wear. The hats are called Bearskins and they weigh around 665 grams (quite heavy!!). They all are standardised so if your head is small, then while you are standing guard, the hat will usually slid down over time covering your eyes. Since they are not allowed to move, they will need to press a button to call someone over to help them adjust their hats. Hahahaha…
He explained more about Buckingham Palace and the guards and then headed over to Westminster Abbey.
Always heard about people mentioning Westminster Abbey but I never knew it was a church (or originally founded as a Benedictine monastery). Westminster Abbey is sitting at the heart of the nation, standing alongside the Houses of Parliament and the offices of government. The Abbey is a symbol of the connection between the Church and the State.
Westminster Abbey is open for worship and either pay an entrance fee to explore the place where the most significant historical and intellectual figures in British history are buried or memorialised. Kings and Queens like King Henry VII and his wife, Elizabeth of York, King James I, Queen Elizabeth I and her half-sister Queen Mary I (also known as ‘Bloody Mary’).
It was a brief taking experience as the tour guide was explaining the history of this place. He knew exactly who died when, when each King or Queen reigned the country, where they were buried and also the history about the other famous figures such as Charles Dickens. Just seeing how the building was built along with all the shrines, tombs and memorial statutes really made me realise that all this history is true and it’s not just a fiction story that has been converted into a movie. (As you can see my history knowledge is very limited… hehehe)
No photos were allowed inside the Abbey so I could only take photos of the exterior.
Wow fascinating post - nice too see you're having fun there. It actually looks like decent weather there too!
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