That was some Good Timing

Let me begin by saying that has now been over a year since we left Canada. We left on June 16, 2005 arriving on the 17th as we had an over night flight. Seems strange to think that we have been gone a year, but we have done a lot and seen so many new things. Yesterday was no exception.

Jon came back up to stay with us on Friday night from Exeter and we had all of sat to pack as much in as we could as he this morning he left for Belgium by train. So anyways sat morning came very early for Jon and me as we had to get up at 5:30am. Well I should that "I" got up and went to wake up Jon. Going into his room he gave me the thumbs up sign so I went and got ready to go. 10 min later I went back into his room and he was fast asleep again. Jeez its not like he wasn't going to have a good day. Anyways we left out flat in Bristol at 6am and made our way to Stonehenge. On route we got lost in Bath and after asking 3 people (of which 2 were from other countries) nobody could help us find the A36. We found it on our own and made it to Stonehenge by 8am to find it was closed until 9. Oh well we just grabbed some snacks from a gas station and returned in time to be the first ones into Stonehenge.

After about 30min at Stonehenge we drove to Kew Gardens to get the tube into central London. Our first stop was Waterloo station where Jon got rid of his backpack for the day and we headed over to the London eye and Westminster. This is where our luck started. We stood and watched set after set of old warplanes flying across London doing air maneuvers, spraying colours, and guiding larger planes in for a air show over London.



We had to skip out on going inside Westminster Abby as the price and the lines where outrageous. We walked from here over to "the mall" (the street that Buckingham palace is on) and made our way halfway down before seeing the part of the celebration called trooping the colour so we ran the rest of the down the mall to see it. We watched the drums being played and the guards all in formation before they walked down the mall and off behind Buckingham palace. The lucky part of this is that it only happens once a year so it was good timing on our behalf. But the best is still to come.

When looking at Buckingham Palace there is a gate on the right side used visitors and car access into the palace. Jon and I were standing there when 2 police told everyone to stop crossing the entrance way and wait. The gates opened and 2 jaguars drove out. Jon and I were standing right at the front of the pack on the roads edge as this 2 cars came out and we were probably within 10ft of the cars. The person sitting in the back seat of the 2nd Jaguar was none other than The Queen of England herself. It was a pretty amazing moment to see her come out and wave to the crowd before the cars spend off around the corner. I must say that Jon and I did not expect that to happen at all and was the highlight of the day.


But the day was far from over. We went from there to Trafalgar Square, the British Museum (to see the Rosetta Stone and Ginger), and St. Paul’s Cathedral which due to yet again great timing was free to get into as there was a service in session for prayer. Usually £9 to get inside we definitely lucked out yet again. We walked along south bank after that passing Shakespeare’s Globe theatre and then on to the Tower bridge and the Tower of London. Ending the day at the park next to the London Eye we sat and watched all the entertainers trying to gather crowds and make their money. I said goodbye to Jon at waterloo station where he met up with family for the night before he heads off for 2.5 months throughout Europe. I made my way back out to Kew Gardens to get the car and then drove back across to Bristol which as basically on the other side of the country arriving home at a little past 10:30. It was a tiring day but after we saw I can't really complain.