THE Palace.......because there really is only one, or so I'm told

     So, I have a confession to make.  The past two times I visited London I could not get inside, although I stood at the gates to Buckingham Palace waving my arms frantically explaining that I was sure I had a standing invitation for tea with the Queen.  After all Ancestry.com and about 45 "what blood line are you from" quizzes later and I just know I'm related to Royalty. It just may be one of the lines filled with crazy but that's beside the point.

     Charina and I arrived in London early afternoon by way of Victoria Station.  We stayed at the Doubletree which was just around the corner.  Very convenient for snacking and getting on the tube (subway).  We dumped our bags and set out on foot.  I thought I'd walk Charina by THE Palace towards St.James' Park where we could get a great view of the front. 

     Imagine my surprise and delight while walking past "THE Palace" and seeing that I can indeed purchase a ticket to actually legally get inside.  Ooooh I was simply tingling all over.  Even though my friend Charina who I was lucky enough to have with me for 5 of the 7 days I was in England had visited the Country prior, to my delight she had not gone inside THE Palace either  the excitement was building I could not simply walk by without acting like a tourist.  I'm certain Charina did not share my enthusiasm but she's too sweet to say "nah not really".  So away we went on our first afternoon in London, how better than to spend part of it in THE Palace.

I was so excited to finally smell it, to marvel in the ostentatious-ness.  And so what if I accidentally get left behind in a room while the crowd surges forward.  I just know there are secret passage ways all over those public rooms that will lead me to the real treasure.  The private rooms, where the Royalty lives like the rest of us, except they have Butlers and stuff.  I don't have a Butler.  Yet. 

Getting into THE Palace was just like getting on an airplane, bags thru the scanner and walk through the metal detector and arms up for the wand.  No problem, I'm in.

 And I'm now walking into the East Front, also known as the Ambassadors' Court and Quadrangle.  Now don't I just feel special. 

The State Rooms were designed for the Sovereign to receive her guests, she would also reward and entertain guests here.  Events take place in these rooms as well which is why some of the most amazingly beautiful works of art are on display here.

I know you are all wondering, did she walk straight into the State Rooms or was she escorted in by carriage?  The answer is no, drat !  Even though I did not arrive by coach here is a photograph of just how special you could feel coming in this way.  We were not allowed to take photographs inside THE Palace, but we did see a magnificent carriage staged here.


Upon entering I was completely happy to note that the carpeting is RED, how did they know that red is my favorite color?  In 1704 (yes you are getting a mini history lesson) a house built by the Duke of Buckingham stood exactly upon the grounds that is now Buckingham Palace.  It was called Buckingham House and was built as a retreat which was quite smaller than the palace is now as you can imagine.  But King George III and his wife Princess Charlotte found it to be quite to their liking and it was purchased for I believe 28,000 Pounds.    Construction for expansion and modernization of Buckingham House was begun in 1825, but the death of  George IV interrupted it's progress five years later.  During the early years of Queen Victoria's reign the building was finished in 1840.  THE Palace has seen many updates and expansions since it's humble beginnings as a 'retreat'.  
                      

 

The splendor of the "Grand Staircase".  I'm not going to bore you with a stock photo of every room we visited.  I was quite disappointed that I couldn't take my own photos.  We all know I'm no wizard with the lens but I would have liked to give you different angles of this masterpiece.  I was surprised by the amount of light coming in from the ceiling in this area.  I figured the rooms would be opulent and I was right. 







The room I enjoyed the most is as you can guess is the Throne Room. I am a sucker for bling that's for sure.

The Ballroom (also where they hold concerts) was another of my favorites.  I was able to see it set for dinner and whoa they can get a lot of people in there.  Yes you can see there is also a "throne" here too. 

But then I entered the White Drawing Room.  Oh My Gosh.  I could sit in here for hours, have the Butler bring tea (or wine) and read books.  I would install a huge flat screen in here though.  Sunday afternoon football could take on a whole new meaning in this room.

Can you imagine me having a Super Bowl party here?  Yes and you would all be on the guest list.




Upon leaving the rooms we were allowed to see we arrived in the garden.  Here is where we were told we could take photos to our hearts content.  However, there were tents set up that held a little cafe which although nice for a cold drink and snack really took away from the beauty that is this building.  Walking about the yard was fun to say I was there.

Thanks Charina for letting me put this photo of the Garden on my Travel Log.