LONDON--DAY 5

Tuesday, June 5

Today is Day 5 of our London Journey, and we are feeling energized and ready for another full day of sightseeing.  Two shots of espresso in a cup of grande Americano will do that to you.  We love Caffe Nero.

On the agenda for today is a walk through Kensington Garden to the bridge that crosses over The Serpentine, continuing on to the Prince Albert Memorial, Royal Albert Hall, and a tour of Kensington Palace.  This was the plan for the morning.  We made our way to the bridge, Glenn posed for a picture with an incredible background, I readied the camera, and then realized the batteries were still in the charger in our hotel room.  We retraced our steps there and back, and then I took this picture.

Our walk continued through Kensington Garden until we arrived at the Prince Albert Memorial.

 

I have become quite intrigued with the love story between Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.  They were married for about twenty years before his untimely death at the age of 42 from typhoid.  Albert co-ruled with Queen Victoria, especially during the time that she was having their nine children.  After his death she wore black until her death some forty-three years later.  Queen Victoria had this memorial built in his memory.  She reigned for sixty-three years and was Queen Elizabeth’s great-great grandmother.  If Elizabeth continues on the throne for another three years, she will then surpass Queen Victoria as the longest reigning monarch in Great Britain.

Across from the memorial is the Royal Albert Hall where many of London’s concerts are held.

Again we walked until we arrived at Kensington Palace

where William and Kate and Prince Harry are moving soon.  This has been the home of several monarchs including Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.  The photographs that followed were taken without flash, so they are somewhat difficult to see.

Queen Victoria's Wedding Dress

Connie on the stair going to the King's apartment

Glenn at Kensington

King's robe lined in ermine

Princess Diana lived there from 1981 until her death in 1997.  Five of her dresses are on display there, but one of the most interesting things I saw was the wallpaper in the hallways leading to the Diana exhibit.

Flash photography was not allowed, but I was able to get a fairly good picture of a dress I actually remembered seeing Diana wear.

One of Princess Diana's dresses on display at Kensington Palace

                                

After spending several hours touring Kensington, we passed a Pizza Hut and thoroughly enjoyed our lunch.  On the way there, we passed a TK Maxx, England's version of TJ Maxx.  

Next on our agenda was Harrod's and we quickly found the Egyptian escalator and the memorial to Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed.

One of the most amazing things at Harrod's was the food area.  Notice the beautiful ceiling.

Harrod's Food Court

By the time we left Harrod's, rain had set in for the day, but we made our way to the London Eye anyway and boarded one of the cars.  Each car holds more than twenty people. 

View of the Eye with Big Ben in the center

Typical London Rainy Day on the London Eye

Parliament and Big Ben from the London  Eye

After riding the Eye, we found this cut-out of William and Kate and posed for a picture.

 

We then returned to Hard Rock for a satisfying American meal of nachos and apple cobbler before heading back to the hotel to plan day 6 of our trip.