My journal about trying to live a modern Victorian lifestyle in the suburbs of Chicago. Whether it's gardening, antiques, food, decorating, cats, nature or travel, I always have my eye out for that Victorian feeling.
Monday, April 25, 2011
A Surprise Gift from Miss Sandra!
A couple weeks ago, I entered a Second Blogiversary Giveaway
It was Wednesday, July 29, 1981 when I got up at 3 AM to watch the coverage of the wedding of Charles & Diana. I was enthralled by the pageantry, history and beauty of it all. I was so happy for them!
Next Friday, I will again be up by 3 AM to watch the coverage of another royal wedding: that of William and Kate. I'll watch as much as I can, hopefully seeing most of it before I have to leave for work.
My husband Terry and I visited London exactly five years ago. We spent six days there and absolutely loved it. One day, we hope to return. Since I know the streets and have seen the city first hand, I'll be able to get my bearings as the procession heads through the streets of London and Kate enters Westminster Abbey.
I thought this would be a great time to share some photos of our London trip. Some of these locales will indeed be on the wedding route! Others... not so much.
Here is the fascade of Westminster Abbey. I regret we did not go inside, but next time for sure!
Big Ben is right across the street from Westminster Abbey.
Here are some shots of Buckingham Palace and the Changing of the Guard ceremony.
When the Queen's Guards aren't rotating in and out of duty, they're doing this...
... and this. People try to crack them up, but they must remain stoic. A few times, we saw the guards begin to march in place and switch their guns to the other side in hopes that would scare the tourists who were getting a bit too close!
A charming carriage just outside the gates of Buckingham Palace.
Just across the street from Buckingham Palace is St. James's Park. It was SO beautiful, with gorgeous flowers, ponds and birds. A true paradise!
The wedding route will not pass the Tower of London...
... nor Tower Bridge. We decided not to take the tour inside the Tower of London. Jails and jewels just didn't fit into our schedule. Maybe next time. I really would have loved to see the ravens that live on the grounds, but they weren't there when we were in London.
I was surprised to see this statue of Abraham Lincoln in the middle of Parliament Square! Especially since it is a replica of the one we have in Lincoln Park here in Chicago!
We Illinoians are mighty proud of old Abe!
Terry is a huge Beatles and British Invasion fan, so we just had to walk up Abbey Road to Abbey Road Studios.
It was almost impossible recreating that famous shot with all the traffic! The locals must think us tourists are crazy!
Here's a typical pub in London. Such quaint buildings, and many have been in operation for hundreds of years!
There's no better way to get a bird's eye view of London than from atop the London Eye!
Well, that concludes our brief tour of London! If you're interested in the Royal Wedding, check out the links below.
For the official Royal Wedding website, click here.
For a helpful interactive map of the royal procession click here.
Here's a fun 3D imagery of the parade route by Google Earth Maps:
And finally, if you're not watching the festivities on TV, you can watch a live stream on the official Royal Household YouTube channel beginning at 5:00 am ET by clicking here!
Just a few weeks ago, we still had mounds of this...
The sun would try to melt it at times...
And the ice rink began to get a little too wet for skating...
Then, the mulch began to be delivered...
And last week, I spotted my first flower of the season... a crocus!
It was 38° when I left for work on Friday morning. But finally this weekend...
It's in the 80's! And we have our first flowers in our own garden! The blue Scillas...
And the Daffodils!
We opened our windows for the first time. The cat window perch came out of storage, and Phoebe was delighted to enjoy the sights, sounds and smells of the great outdoors!
And Penny soaked up some Vitamin D from the warm rays of the sun.
For weeks, I have envied my fellow bloggers' photos of beautiful Spring flowers, and now I can enjoy the real thing! Our entire weekend was lovely. But we still are not out of the woods, as our last frost date is May 15. It just felt so good to be outdoors without a coat!
Do you love Victorian houses, Antiques, Eastlake furniture and Aesthetic style? Welcome to my world! Drop your calling card in the receiver in the front hall. The butler will take your hat and gloves. Make yourself at home on the settee in our parlor, and I'll have tea brought to us. One lump or two? :-)
