Post by Sandy M on Apr 28, 2011 16:09:33 GMT -5
Hi all - I see that Denise has already posted so this one of mine is pretty much the same - I forgot to mention our coffee at the Marriott - lovely place and also to talk about all the media "camps" that have been set up all around - also this evening there were helicopters buzzing around - the excitement is getting to a fever pitch - I can only imagine how exciting it will be tomorrow!!
Here's a copy/paste of the e-mail I just sent to friends back in the US
Hi Everyone,
Another great and fun day - the sun was shining when I got up at 9AM - yes, I said 9AM - couldn't believe that I slept in so late but I was extremely tired so shouldn't be surprised. I'm glad that happened because that forced me to just take it easy until Denise arrived at 11:15AM. She got checked in and then we were planning on going to Borough Market but I mentioned that I would like to go to Buckingham Palace and then walk down the Mall as we wouldn't get to do that tomorrow because of the masses of people that would be there. Glad we did that as it was fun to see all the people gathering and also the ones who had their tents set up to spend the night. As we walked down the Mall, I saw one tent that had San Diego, CA on it so I went over to the ladies to tell them I was from the US also - then I saw a little stuffed toy of the "San Diego Chicken" - that's a guy who dresses up in a chicken suit and entertains at the Iowa Cubs Ball Games - so I asked her if she knew the San Diego Chicken - she gave me the funniest look and said "Know him?? I'm married to him" !!! What a hoot - so I told her I was from Des Moines, IA and she said "Oh, the Iowa Cubs" and then I told her that I was the GM of the hotel in WDM where he had stayed - well, she just got all excited and said that she couldn't wait to tell him! Small World!
We walked down the rest of the Mall and then stopped at Trafalgar Square - lots of people there too but not as many as at the Palace. Walked down Whitehall to the Westminster Abbey Underground and took the tube close to the Millennium Bridge which we walked across to the Tate Modern Museum. We were going to meet Mez (from Sydney, Australia) and our friend Megan there at 3:45PM. The ladies got there on good time and we went to the 7th floor cafe for a coffee - the cafe has full length windows so we had fabulous views of St. Paul's and the Thames. Stayed there for a couple hours visiting and then took the Underground over to Covent Garden to have Fish & Chips at a restaurant there. Mez then left our group as she had tickets for a show and Megan wanted to go to Buckingham Palace and walk down the Mall so Denise and I went along - I could not believe how many more people had gathered since we were there only 4 hours previously!! Denise and I estimated that there at least 10 times as many people there - and many more tents set up too. We walked all the way down the Mall to Trafalgar Square and Megan went home and Denise and I returned to the hotel!
Oh, I almost forgot - as we approached Buckingham Palace, a large crowd was standing by the gate which was open so everyone knew that one of the royals would be coming out - we stood there for a bit and then decided to go on as we couldn't really see anything - as we were standing at the cross walk to wait for the green light, we heard yelling and screaming and then a big black car came whizzing around the corner - it was Queen Elizabeth - we could only see the top of her car but a young Italian woman standing in front saw the Queen and she was just beside herself with excitement!! I thought she was going to faint, she was soooo excited!
So that's it for today - we have to get up early in the morning to head for Hyde Park so will go to bed early tonight. I'm just so glad to be here - this is quite an experience!!
Hugs,
Sandy
Here's a copy/paste of the e-mail I just sent to friends back in the US
Hi Everyone,
Another great and fun day - the sun was shining when I got up at 9AM - yes, I said 9AM - couldn't believe that I slept in so late but I was extremely tired so shouldn't be surprised. I'm glad that happened because that forced me to just take it easy until Denise arrived at 11:15AM. She got checked in and then we were planning on going to Borough Market but I mentioned that I would like to go to Buckingham Palace and then walk down the Mall as we wouldn't get to do that tomorrow because of the masses of people that would be there. Glad we did that as it was fun to see all the people gathering and also the ones who had their tents set up to spend the night. As we walked down the Mall, I saw one tent that had San Diego, CA on it so I went over to the ladies to tell them I was from the US also - then I saw a little stuffed toy of the "San Diego Chicken" - that's a guy who dresses up in a chicken suit and entertains at the Iowa Cubs Ball Games - so I asked her if she knew the San Diego Chicken - she gave me the funniest look and said "Know him?? I'm married to him" !!! What a hoot - so I told her I was from Des Moines, IA and she said "Oh, the Iowa Cubs" and then I told her that I was the GM of the hotel in WDM where he had stayed - well, she just got all excited and said that she couldn't wait to tell him! Small World!
We walked down the rest of the Mall and then stopped at Trafalgar Square - lots of people there too but not as many as at the Palace. Walked down Whitehall to the Westminster Abbey Underground and took the tube close to the Millennium Bridge which we walked across to the Tate Modern Museum. We were going to meet Mez (from Sydney, Australia) and our friend Megan there at 3:45PM. The ladies got there on good time and we went to the 7th floor cafe for a coffee - the cafe has full length windows so we had fabulous views of St. Paul's and the Thames. Stayed there for a couple hours visiting and then took the Underground over to Covent Garden to have Fish & Chips at a restaurant there. Mez then left our group as she had tickets for a show and Megan wanted to go to Buckingham Palace and walk down the Mall so Denise and I went along - I could not believe how many more people had gathered since we were there only 4 hours previously!! Denise and I estimated that there at least 10 times as many people there - and many more tents set up too. We walked all the way down the Mall to Trafalgar Square and Megan went home and Denise and I returned to the hotel!
Oh, I almost forgot - as we approached Buckingham Palace, a large crowd was standing by the gate which was open so everyone knew that one of the royals would be coming out - we stood there for a bit and then decided to go on as we couldn't really see anything - as we were standing at the cross walk to wait for the green light, we heard yelling and screaming and then a big black car came whizzing around the corner - it was Queen Elizabeth - we could only see the top of her car but a young Italian woman standing in front saw the Queen and she was just beside herself with excitement!! I thought she was going to faint, she was soooo excited!
So that's it for today - we have to get up early in the morning to head for Hyde Park so will go to bed early tonight. I'm just so glad to be here - this is quite an experience!!
Hugs,
Sandy
Just more meaningless clutter for the brain.... 
)
)
hahahha