London Town

Was great to finally meet Debbie and Grace at the hotel.  I have been counting the weeks down for over a month now.  So good to reunite with old friends and pick up the friendship as though it was only yesterday when we last met even though it was over six months ago.  Listened to their non-stop tales and embarrassing moments travelling across Europe and I have to say they were quite hilarious.  Poor Grace having to put up with her embarrassing mother who on one occasion while on a roofless tour-the-city-bus in Paris grabbed an overhanging leaf on a branch that refused to budge, so Debbie let it go and it clocked the guy sitting behind in the face.  I cracked up laughing. 

So, Thursday morning off we set to find the hop-on hop-off tour bus and joined the tour for the Changing of the Guard which started at St James's Palace.  We managed to get their just in time after a brisk walk from Trafalgar Square.  Quite frankly I wasn't too fussed about seeing the sights of London as I  thought I had seen it all before but the tour operators took us on a very fast and rather vigourous walk on the Changing of the Guard route and it was just splendid.  We stood outside St James's Palace and the band came out and played Verdi's Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves which of course was enough to start a flow of tears right there on the pavement.

The pomp, ceremony and ritual of these old traditions is really quite awesome and I have to say I found it very moving and somehow quite comforting that even in the midst of shifting politics and powers some things never change.

This was the first day of our Tour of Britain, or more acurately, of England, and it was to set the scene to remind me again of the rich and somewhat gruesome history of my country of birth.