The first time I went to Europe, I stayed for a total of 3 weeks. The final 3 days were spent in London.
On the first day in London, after we flew from Paris, we went sightseeing by bus in the afternoon. On the second day, the schedule wasn't fixed ; we could choose to take an optional tour, visiting Stratfford-upon-Avon or to go to some places which we wanted to visit. On the last day, we could use the morning hours as we liked and then we left England in the afternoon. Actually, at fist, I chose to go to Stratfford-upon-Avon on the second day, but I found out that I couldn't see the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace if I went there. If I had missed the parade, I would have been bitterly disappointed. Therefore, I suddenly cancelled attending the optional tour. I finally went to see the changing of the guards which I had longed to see.

The road was crowded with a lot of travelers. I know every visitor's feeling ; the changing of the guards is a highlight of sightseeing in London, so they can't miss this event.
When I saw them, the guards wore dark blue coats contrary to my expectation, because it was winter, so it was cold.
However, I was very excited seeing them for the first time. On the other hand, I still thought that I wanted to see them again when they would be wearing their red coats.
So, on my second trip to England, I went to see them once again!

"Wow! They are wearing their red coats!" I was satisfied.
I think that the United Kingdom is really great because they still hold such a large-scale parade every day!!

On the opposite side of Buckingham Palace, a statue of Queen Victoria stands majestically. She reigned when Great Britain enjoyed it's Golden Age.
She overlooks the mall which leads to the palace.
From here, you'll see two parks ; Green Park and St. James Park. If you enter Green Park and walk a little, you'll reach Picadilly Circus.

Even after seeing the parade, I always visited Buckingham Palace on my first 4 or 5 visits to London, although I didn't see the parade, because I thought that visiting Buckingham Palace is standard sightseeing in London. When I stayed at a B&B in Victoria, I walked straight from Victoria station to Buckingham Palace on Buckingham Palace Road. Then I entered Green Park and went to Picadilly Circus. When the weather is fine, walking like this is so enjoyable.
We can see the inside of Buckingham Palace during the summer. Actually, I visited England during the summer for several successive years, but I couldn't see the inside for many years. Because my holiday dates didn't coincide with the the palace opening dates. Furthermore, I didn't have sufficient time to visit the palace.
Six years ago, my long-cherished desire was fulfilled ; I finally entered! I thought that it was a little troublesome to stand in line for many hours, so I booked a tour. However, this tour included sightseeing in London. If you know about London well, I can't recommend this tour. In my case, I met a woman travelling alone like me. I enjoyed walking and talking with her during the tour. Meeting a stranger is a pleasure during a trip.

(2002.10.29)

to the TOP

Trip to England

I really like London!