The next day we were moving to another part of London and were out by 10am and walking to the Underground on our way to Buckingham Palace for the changing of the guard.
We took the tube to St James Gate and then followed the hordes of people through St James park to Buckingham Palace where we lined the road as the guards in their red winter coats and tall bearskin hats marched to the palace and through the gates to relieve their comrades who then marched past us back to their barracks.
“They’re Changing the Guard at Buckingham Palace…”
Besides the guards it was fun to people watch all the people gathered here to watch this ceremony all of us participants in an ancient ritual that elevates a minority of people above the majority not only with our consent but our active glee. There were tons of people gathered here to do just that; lots of Asians, Indians and Europeans in all manner of dress all standing out in the grayish 50 degree blustery day like us watching the spectacle and perpetuating the elitist drama of the monarchy.
We found ourselves beside a family of five, all wearing backpacks like us except for the dad who told me “That’s why I have kids” when I asked where his backpack was. They were from Texas and had seen all the people were gathered here and came over to see what was going on. Colleen explained the Changing of the Guard to them.
Heading to North London…
After the ceremony Ambiana led us on a walk through London to Regent Street where we found a food court for lunch.
After eating we boarded the 139 Double Decker Bus and sat in the front row up top with it’s awesome view of the city rolling by below on our way to our new place.
As we passed Kings Cross Station I noticed we were on Abbey Road and mentioned the Beatles famous album cover in the street crossing.
No sooner than I did then we were approaching it and there was a crowd of people taking turns re-enacting the cover in the crosswalk and having their pictures taken seconds after I suggested we do the same.
Our stop was the 2nd past Abbey Road Studios and we walked to our new place among a row of row house on Goldhurst Terrace. After settling into our room; another double bed with a futon, Ambiana, Colleen and me set out on a walk through the neighborhood to a supermarket for groceries. We noticed that we were a posh neighborhood with fancy row houses and cars parked out front and a short walk took us to a busy intersection and road full with people and shops. At the grocery store it was crowded last minute Christmas Eve shopping and on our way back Ambiana recognized the bus and stop where she and Erika disembarked for Scotland 3 months ago. Back at our place Ambiana made another delicious Lasgnambiana for dinner then Jakobi hung her sock on a plant in the room and we all read until sleepy.
Abbey Road Studios
The next day Ambiana woke first and went for a run. I got up next and put a nickle in Jakobi’s sock and then went out for a run myself.
I took the camera and jogged down to Abbey Road Studios and had a look at the graffitied wall out front. There were half a dozen folks at the Abbey Road Album Cover Crosswalk taking pictures. I asked a lady to take one of me in the crosswalk but was not happy with the angle so I asked another lady to take one from the middle of the street and she got it right.
I then jogged back and ran into Ambiana outside our door. She had run down to the zoo. After breakfast Jakobi had opened her sock we all headed out together and walked down to Abbey Road Studios where we joined the que for the crosswalk photo.
A man in the group behind us took our photo from the right spot and angle and then I took a photo of his group in the crosswalk. Amazing 55 years after the release of the album and still people floc here to re-create the album cover.
I was John, Colleen was Ringo, Bobi was Paul and Ambiana George.
Christmas Day London Bike Adventure
We then walked to the Santander bank Cycle rack and unlocked four bikes and pedaled the Christmas Day streets through London to Hyde Park and then through it to Buckingham Palace and from there down the long avenue to Big Ben and Westminster Abbey.
There are so many people visiting London and we were all out today congregated around the palace and the abbey and the parks; for most of the ride there was no one on the streets until we got to a tourist attraction, it being Christmas Day and all the locals at home celebrating it.
The area around Westminster and Beg Ben was especially packed so we kept our bikes rather than docking them and risking not finding other bikes.
We attempted to return a different way and ended up in an even more congested Trafalgar Square so we backtracked and came back the way we had come deviating to bike alongside Regent Park and the opulent homes that line the circumference of the park all enclosed by a moat.
We docked our bikes close to where we had hired them then sat on a bench and had a snack. Back at the rowhouse we unwound, relaxed, ate dinner and enjoyed a quiet last night in London for tomorrow we head to Erika’s Grandfather’s house outside of Milton Keynes.
