Exploring... part one

Tuesday morning...
After getting a good night's sleep it was time to go explore the sights of London...

I am staying at Inverness Terrace, Bayswater... so I am right by Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park, so to begin the day I had a beautiful walk through the park; it is a open space that the people use, there were people sitting and reading, walking or running, riding their bikes. I know we have parks and open spaces but I guess because we have the space in our own backyards fewer of us use the public spaces.

This little guy (above) ran out of the grass right in front of me and climbed up on the seat, waited patiently for me to get my camera out, take his photo and then he ran off... very cute.

Along with the open spaces there are some wonderful laid out gardens and areas like the Italian Gardens (right); statues like the Peter Pan statue which is set to have appeared as if by magic, next to Long Water on May the 1st 1912, it was donated to the park by JM Barrie, the author of Peter Pan, it stands on the very spot where in the story Peter landed after sailing from and island and also the Diana Memorial.

Coming out of the park and past Wellington Arch on my way to Buckingham Palace, I for the first time of the day was impressed with the size, grandeur and age of different things in this city.

Buckingham Palace, the home of the Queen, you stand before it and you can not help but be amazed by it so for the second time in a very short period of time I was impressed.

To be somewhere that you have grown up hearing about, having seen it so many times television and then to be actually be standing there is a feeling that is hard to describe; there are things that you expect to see like the guards but then there are other things that make you smile... like the Queen's mail being delivered by Royal Mail.

Changing of the Guard was due to start at 11:30, an hour away but the crowds were already three people deep so I walked along and found a space that wasn't too crowded with tall people and settled in.

While waiting I got talking to a couple from America, that couldn't believe the crowds and really didn't know what to expect with the Changing of the Guard, they made the comment "a lot of pomp and ceremony". They were right but it was impressive.

My spot was just to the left of the centre of the palace and I was close to the action but I could only see a small section of it. I decided to move on and I am glad that I did. I wandered around to the side and found myself on the fence with a wonderful view of the whole show.

After all the pomp and ceremony I headed back through the park and made by way to Piccadilly Circus, I saw the signs and the statue of Eros but due to the City of London doing work in preparation for the Games in 2012 there was a lot of scaffolding, which took away from the spectacle of it all.

Next I met up with Wiz and did a little souvenir shopping and lunch...