There’s no way you can go to London without taking a look at the legendary Buckingham Palace . And, after a long admiration of the majestic Big Ben , this was our next destination. To get there, it was as simple getting to the Birdcage Walk and walk along St James’ Park to its entrance facing the Queen Ann’s Gate. This immensity of green, just like most parks in London is just beautiful and incredibly relaxing. It was weird because it was like stepping into the countryside. Our biggest regret: not having nuts or other little tidbit to distribute to the multitude of squirrels that hopped happily in the park! We were very jealous of this man who seemed to have tamed them and had the luxury to feed them while they quickly climbed on his arm to seek their treat. It was crazy and kind of funny to see.
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And a little further, while crossing the St James Lake , we already saw Buckingham , majestic and imperturbable. We continued straight on to The Mall , this huge red soil avenue that connects Charing Cross to the palace and we then headed to the latter.
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Despite the fact that the building is absolutely huge and imposing, we were a little disappointed to find such a modern and contemporary palace. Just like the Tower of London, we were expecting a much older and stylized building, since its construction dates back to the 18th century. This is the place to go to witness the famous Changing of the Guard which takes place every 2 days. This is a very important and codified event which we unfortunately did not see much of. Little advice: the Changing begins at 11am but it is better to get there an hour earlier to hope to see a little something! We heard that the Horse Guards monument in Whitehall is also a good point of view as it would be much less hulled. We still saw some guards decked out in their beautiful costumes scrolling majestically before us, it was a very good show despite the frustration of not seeing enough! In front of the palace stands the Queen Victoria Memorial, a huge statue built in honor of Queen Victoria.
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We then took Constitution Hill on the right of the palace, to get to the Wellington Arch , a huge triumphal arch built in the 19th century which is the largest sculpture in Europe and is a prestigious entrance for arriving in London from the west. Can you believe how small Nath is next to it?! We finally finished the day at the Winter in Wonderland fairground in Hyde Park . We hung out, took a thrill ride and enjoyed great charcoal cooked burgers, perfection! Last advice, plan a high budget if you want to enjoy the park, most of the rides are very expensive. It takes between £5 and £8 per ride!
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