After waking up for our second day in London, we got ready for the day. This is only noteworthy because I fell in the shower and really banged my head and hip. So glad I am still relatively young so that this wasn't a deal breaker for our day. I can't help remembering my mom falling in Paris. She told me later that she thinks that fall was the first symptom of her eventual PSP diagnosis. I am grateful for my body that can bounce back from a fall at this stage of my life.
We had to fuel our bodies which was enjoyed in the hotel. I think my Herbal Tea Co tea is better than the English herbal tea. All of the fun savory food was different than the savory options in the US. It really felt like more sandwich fixings. We enjoyed the variety though. And the croissants and pan au chocolate were fantastic. I don't know if it was a traditional English breakfast, but we ate a nice breakfast in England, so I am calling it iconic.
We left our backpacks in the hotel so we could not have to pack them around all day. And then we headed off to Hyde Park (!). It was so unreal to be somewhere I had read about countless times. It was a bit stormy, but we were just a bit giddy to be there. We also explored Kensington Palace while we were there, which we definitely nerded out about. Princess Kate lived here!! We noticed that this palace is very different fanciness wise to the palaces in France. There was lovely woodwork, but was not nearly so opulent or gilded.
About Kensington Palace:
From Villa to Palace: In 1689, King William III and Queen Mary II bought Nottingham House to escape the smog of Whitehall Palace and hired Sir Christopher Wren to expand it into a royal home.
Victorian Era: Kensington was home to Queen Victoria, who was born there, learned she had become queen in a room at the palace, and met her husband Prince Albert there. Tours often feature her childhood rooms.
20th Century and beyond: The palace became a home for other royals, including Princess Margaret and Diana, Princess of Wales. It is now the official London residence of the Prince and Princess of Wales and their children.
This is the story we learned from the signs in the palace about King William and Queen Mary:
When Mary first moved to Kensington with her husband William, this room was one of her many bedrooms.
James Edward Stuart, son of King James II and half-brother to Mary, may have been born in this bed at St James' Palace in 1688.
Born a Catholic, James was a threat to the Protestant government. Rumours were spread that the baby was an imposter. smuggled into the bed in a 'warming pan' to replace a stillborn infant.
In 1688 William, the Protestant ruler of the Netherlands, and his wife Mary were invited by the English Parliament to take the throne, in place of Mary's father, Catholic King James II.
William arrived by sea in Devon, and was welcomed into the country. King James, his wife and baby son fled in the night to France This became known as 'The Glorious Revolution'.
William and Mary were popular rulers, and England blossomed. It was a time of prosperity and growth, with trade routes opening up internationally, bringing exotic new goods into London.
A new Bill of Rights ended conflict between Crown and Parliament. It preserved civil laws and liberties and limited the power of the monarchy. This is the basis for the Constitutional Monarchy.
Mary had a passion for collecting beautiful treasures from around the world. She filled this room with embroidered silk hangings, Persian rugs, and as many as 150 pieces of Chinese and Japanese porcelain.
Mary also commissioned a palace garden of formal flowerbeds and box hedges.
This style was Dutch and designed to make William feel at home.
Tragedy struck in 1694 when Mary discovered a rash on her arm. It was smallpox.
William was distraught and slept on a camp bed in her room to be near to her. He wrote to a friend "You can believe what a condition I am in, loving her as I do. If I should lose her. I should have done with the world".
Aged thirty two, Mary died here at Kensington Palace. After only four years together on the throne, William was left to rule alone.
In 1702, eight years after Mary's death, William broke his collarbone in a riding accident at Hampton Court Palace.
Determined to return to Kensington, William's doctors reset the bone only for it to break again on the journey. The wound did not heal and he died here shortly afterwards.
When Williams's servants prepared his body for burial, they found Mary's small gold ring on a black ribbon round his neck. It had been made into a locket containing a piece of Mary's hair.
Beautiful wood paneling is very different from France. This is called the Queens Staircase.
The Queen's Gallery. The domed ceiling in this room was interesting.
Queens Dining Room
The Queen's Drawing Room
The Queen's Bedchamber
Beautiful and slightly confusing family tree
The Fife Diamond Tiara 1887
Princess Louise, Queen Victoria's granddaughter, was given this tiara on her wedding day by her husband, the Duke of Fife. Designed by popular Parisian jeweller Oscar Massin, the pear shaped diamonds are 'swing-set' allowing them to move and catch the light when the tiara is worn.
Accepted in lieu of Inheritance Tax by HM Government from the estate of the 3rd Duke of Fife and allocated to HRP for Kensington Palace, 2017
Queen Victoria's Emerald Necklace, Earrings and Brooch 1843
Prince Albert designed this matching set of jewels, called a parure, for Victoria. The Queen wore the set to a banquet at Trinity College Cambridge to celebrate her husband's appointment as chancellor. Victoria noted other occasions on which she wore this set including to Prince Alfred's christening, when she paired them with the lace from her wedding dress.
Queen Victoria's Emerald Tiara 1845
Prince Albert worked closely with the Queen's Jeweller, Joseph Kitching, to design a tiara that would complement Victoria's emerald and diamond parure, displayed above. This exquisite piece demonstrates Albert's creative abilities. The Queen, delighted with the gift, wrote in her diary of her husband's 'wonderful taste'.
Just a hint, John, emeralds and diamonds are wonderful taste. ;)
Princess Louise's Diamond Necklace Tiara c1890
This tiara was a wedding gift to Queen
Victoria's granddaughter Princess Louise
from her parents, Bertie and Alexandra, Prince and Princess of Wales. The design was inspired by traditional Russian costume. Family ties between British and Russian Royals meant the style became popular in Europe in the 19th century. Its clever construction means it can also be worn as a necklace, as shown in the photograph.
Victoire, Duchess of Kent with Victoria (1786-1861)
By Sir William Beechey, 1821
The sudden death of the Duke left the Duchess in an unusual position. She was left with massive debts forcing her to sell and then later buy back the contents of their home.
The Duke also gave her sole responsibility for raising an heir to the throne a task usually undertaken by the monarch.
Memorial Album
Compiled by Baroness Lovise Lehzen, 1841-70
Lehzen devoted herself to Victoria for almost 20 years, giving up any private life. She was eventually dismissed by Prince Albert in 1842. On her return to Germany, she created this scrapbook of mementoes, revealing both a motherly love for Victoria and a carefully constructed promotion of her role in making of a queen.
Victoria's life sounds stifling
King George IV (1762-1830)
After Sir Thomas Lawrence, 1832 Oil on panel
George IV was initially reluctant to acknowledge his niece as an heir to the throne and refused to give the Duchess a proper allowance During a rare visit, the Princess remembered: "The King took me by the hand, saying, "Give me your little paw". He was large and gouty but with a wonderful dignity and charm.”
The dress ups were a good time.
Victoria at the Drury Lane Theatre
By Edmund Thomas Parris, 1817 Oil on panel
The theatre was a place to see and be seen. Sitting in a box, Victoria said, was like being 'quite on the stage.' The audience would cheer joyfully when she arrived.
As a princess, Victoria was always accompanied by her mother, Lehzen or Conroy. Once she was Queen, she could sit alone in her box.
Sir John Conroy (1786-1854)
By Henry William Pickersgill, 1837
Oil on canvas
Conroy controlled every aspect of the household. Victoria's uncle, William IV, called him 'King John'. Victoria bitterly resented his influence over her mother, but always strongly denied rumours that they were having an affair.
It was fascinating to learn about Queen Victoria and her childhood and Kensington Palace. It showed her toys and described her very controlled life. Fortunately she was able to eventually become queen. One sign said.
BECOMING QUEEN
'I really cannot say how proud I feel to be Queen of such a Nation'
Queen Victoria, 25 June 1838
As dawn broke on 20 June 1937, the palace awoke to furious banging on the doors. The Lord Chamberlain and Archbishop of Canterbury had arrived to break the news-the King was dead. Victoria was now queen.
Just weeks earlier, Victoria had turned 18, dashing her mother's plan to be regent. The young Queen was just old enough to rule alone and later that morning, held her first Privy Council in this room.
Victoria relished her new independence. She moved to Buckingham Palace, dismissed Conroy, banished her mother to the opposite side of the palace and appointed Lehzen as her Lady Attendant
A year later, immense cheering crowds lined the route to Westminster Abbey for Victoria's coronation. Great challenges lay ahead but that night, after a triumphant start to her reign, Victoria was secure in herself and in her popularity.
She was finally free.
Prince Albert (1819-61)
By Emil Wolff, 1839
Marble
Victoria was immediately charmed by Albert, describing him as 'full of goodness... & very clever'. But unlike Victoria, her serious, slightly shy cousin struggled to keep up with the parties and entertainments the Duchess had planned.
On Victoria's birthday he stayed “a short while in the ball-room and having only danced twice, turned as pale as ashes” and retired early.
Queen Victoria's 'Privy Council' Dress
Unknown Maker, C1837
Victoria wore this subtly fashionable silk dress for her first official duty as Queen. The artist chose to depict Victoria in white in the painting opposite, but in fact she was dressed in black as she was in mourning for her uncle William IV. Over time, the dye has degraded, creating this mottled brown colour.
Queen Victoria (1819-1901)
By John Partridge, 1840
Victoria and Albert first met on these stairs both aged 16
Their parents and Uncle Leopold had planned the match. Victoria confided in her diary that Albert was 'extremely handsome and thanked Leopold “for the pages of great happiness… in the person of dear Albert.” Four years later, Victoria proposed
The First Council of Queen Victoria
By Henry Brooks, after Sir David Wilkie, 1891
Oil on canvas
In mourning for the King, Victoria wore black to speak at her first Privy Council in this room.
Wilkie painted her in white to symbolise her youth, innocence and a fresh start for the nation.
However the new Queen was disappointed. She called this painting 'one of the worst pictures I have ever seen.’
The King's Staircase. The murals are from 1724.
The King's Chair where he would receive official guests.
Gorgous room with an huge clock in the middle with only one little clock face. Handel preformed in this room.
The King's Drawing Room. This room was a highlight because we listened in on a tour group. The docent explained the crazy fashions for the day including the 6 foot wide dresses for the ladies, just at the hips. And the nastiness of people just peeing against the walls of the room, including the women because the dress was too hard to take on and off. Also we heard about the makeup used and how terrible/poisonous it was.
View of Hyde Park
Such a cool map/clock
I bet these gardens are so pretty not in February
We rode on a double decker bus!
I finally got a good picture of the English flag!
We loved seeing the daffodils blooming in Hyde Park
Gate to Hyde Park
After Kensington Palace, we took a red double decker bus to Buckingham Palace. So cool! Buckingham Palace originated as a house built in 1703 for the Duke of Buckingham. King George III purchased it in 1761 for his wife, Queen Charlotte, and it became known as the "Queen's House". The building was transformed into the palace it is today starting in 1825 under George IV and was officially designated the principal royal residence by Queen Victoria in 1837.
Buckingham Palace is 828,820 square feet (approximately 77,000 square meters) and has 775 rooms, including 19 State rooms, 52 royal and guest bedrooms, 188 staff bedrooms, 92 offices, and 78 bathrooms. The front of the building measures 355 feet (108 meters) across, is 390 feet (120 meters) deep, and 80 feet (24 meters) high. The palace sits on 39 acres of land, which includes the largest private garden in London.
We were sad that we couldn't go into Buckingham Palace, but it was still pretty cool to see it from the gate.
The statue/memorial to Queen Victoria was pretty awesome, especially since we had just learned so much about her.
Ellie and I are huddled under her umbrella at close to the fence
Peering through the gate
It was fun to encounter a statue of Abraham Lincoln outside of Westminster Abbey
Ellie and I are walking towards Westminster. It was wild to be somewhere I had only seen in pictures and videos.
Westminster Abbey's history spans over a millennium, beginning with a Benedictine monastery in the 10th century. It became the site of royal coronations in 1066 with William the Conqueror and has hosted every coronation since (over 40), as well as numerous royal weddings and funerals. The current Gothic structure was built starting in 1245 by King Henry III and includes features like the shrine of St. Edward the Confessor and the tombs of 17 monarchs. Over 3,300 people are buried in the abbey, including the monarchs and numerous public figures such as Sir Isaac Newton, Geoffrey Chaucer, and William Shakespeare.
Westminster Abbey is approximately 530 feet (161.5 meters) long externally and 32,000 square feet in floor area. Its nave is 102 feet high, and the two west towers are 225 feet tall. The building is a large, Gothic structure.
We walked around the massive church, looked at many famous tombs and lovely stained glass. Then we headed upstairs to the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Galleries. There were many relics of Britain's history including effigies of some of the famous monarchs.
I think this stained glass might be the apostles.
The Tomb of the Unknown Warrior
So cool to be at the location of so many famous coronations and weddings. This area is called the nave.
This area is called the Quire.
We were up on that balcony area, but photos were strictly forbidden. It was so annoying.
The Quire facing the other way
Near the tomb of Mary and Elizabeth remember before God all those who divided at the reformation by different convictions laid down their lives for Christ and conscience sake.
This ceiling was amazing
The old Anglican spelling is awesome
Photo from online of the effigy
Photo from online of the view from the Queen Diamond, I think they could have showed this view better. It was amazing to see down the length of Westminster and be up with the high arches.
I think they said that part of Harry Potter was filmed here
Britain's oldest door. Most likely constructed in the 1050s for St Edward the Confessor's Westminster Abbey
The stonework is amazing
Coronation Chair
King Edward I had this chair made to hold the Stone of Scone, which he brought to England in 1296 The chair has been used at every coronation ceremony since 1308. The Stone, which filled the space below the seat, was returned to Scotland in 1996, but will come back to the Abbey for future coronations.The Stone of Scone, also known as the Stone of Destiny, is a rectangular block of red sandstone that served as the ancient coronation seat for Scottish monarchs until it was taken to England by King Edward I in 1296. It was then used in the coronations of English and later British monarchs. While its precise origins are a mystery, legends connect it to biblical Jacob and its history is a symbol of Scottish sovereignty.
Then we walked over to see Big Ben! It was amazing! My mind was just blown seeing so many iconic sights in one day. Big Ben is a 13.7-tonne bell inside the Elizabeth Tower, which is 96 meters tall and has 334 steps to the belfry. The tower has four clock faces, each with a diameter of 7 meters, and the minute hands are 4.2 meters long and weigh about 100kg. The tower was completed in 1859, and the Great Clock mechanism is so accurate that tiny adjustments to the time are made by adding or removing old pennies to the pendulum. We couldn't take the tour of the tower, so we walked a little further to see the River Thames. And even further to see the London Eye. I have to say, Big Ben was taller than I thought it would be, but the London Eye was super taller than I anticipated.
The London Eye is a 135-meter-tall cantilevered observation wheel on the River Thames that was opened in 2000. It has 32 capsules, each representing one of London's boroughs, but they are numbered 1-12 and 14-33 to avoid the unlucky number 13. Each rotation takes about 30 minutes, as the wheel moves slowly enough for passengers to board and disembark without stopping. It is 135 meters (443 ft) tall and has a circumference of 424 meters. The wheel weighs approximately 2,100 tons. The 32 capsules represent London's 32 boroughs. The wheel travels at about 26 cm per second, or 0.9 km per hour, which is slow enough for passengers to get on and off without stopping. It is a cantilevered observation wheel, meaning it is supported on one side only. On a clear day, you can see up to 25 miles (40 km) in every direction, which includes landmarks like Windsor Castle. Over 5,000 engagements have taken place on the Eye since it opened.
I am not normally scared of heights as long as I am in an enclosed situation. But once Ellie and John started talking about
So pretty to see Big Ben and the Parliament building across the Thames.
There were a few other people in our capsule, but not too many that we couldn't have plenty of space and time to see the sights.
We loved the view of the Thames, Big Ben, and the Parliament.
At the ticky top
Good thing John's arms are so long for all of our selfies.
Someone took a family photo for us, but angled it so we were directly in front of the iconic buildings.
It was such a cool view. I had to take a zillion photos of it. I also liked the stormy clouds with the sunset peaking through.
Getting closer to the ground. It actually paused for a couple of minutes to let a handicapped person off so we got this view for a bit.
It felt so much taller than I expected!
One more view across the Thames!
As we were walking back to catch our bus, the sun came out and made a dramatic silhouette.
The light catching on the English flag!
And the rainbow!!
We took the Eurostar back to Paris that night. We got some pastries from the train station and it was just not the same!
Feeling a little tired and goofy. We did blind taste tests of fruit leathers on the ride back. We also played Goat Lords. It was so fun!
Our last morning! We loved staying here and this whole trip!
Our lovely Victor Hugo circle.
On the flight home, we made it through security, barely. They really didn't like my camera all wrapped up in scarves. I actually slept on the plane! I was so so grateful to see my cute kiddos. I loved their tight squeezes. Darcy bouncing and jumping to get me and then kissing me like 30x. I loved, loved this trip.
The flight home was fairly uneventful. We were so eager to be reunited with the rest of our girls!
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