Changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace
The changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace is an institution. A necessity. That must-see-attraction that every tourist ticks off of their list. But, our Buckingham Palace experience went more like this:
- Get yelled at by police
- Find a spot across from the palace at around 10:50
- Shiver in the cold air.
- Crowds pack in, specifically choosing the places where the police have asked them not to stand.
- Watch as the police on horseback push the crowds back, back, back.
And, then, the band began! We heard them marching in, glimpsed them for a second, and then they went behind the gates.
The guards behind the gates
Guards behind a gate are not particularly interesting and, within fifteen minutes, we grew bored. "Let's leave," I said, but my mother insisted that we wait a little longer. And she was right.
The crowds thinned, the gates opened, and the guards in their fluffy beaver hats came parading out, posing perfectly for our pictures.
Which, my mother would tell you, just goes to show that moms know best.