After only one night in Brighton, I hauled everything back to the center of the world for a few more nights in London. Though I’ve visited London several times, I’ve never toured The inside of Buckingham Palace.
Here I am blocking the view of the gate.
I loved the unicorn gargoyle.
Here’s the Queen Victoria Memorial outside the front gates of BP.
Just like in the Royal Pavilion in Brighton, no pictures are allowed inside the Palace (I’m still unimpressed by this rule).
The palace is used for matters of state, and we toured the receiving hall where dignitaries enter, several sitting rooms (themed by color, not unlike my bookcase), and a portrait gallery. The Royal family has many, many pieces of art, as Kings and Queens have acquired collections since olden times. After studying several paintings of George IV, I could see that he was the partying type and would indeed need a pleasure palace like the Brighton Pavilion after all.
The state rooms were beautiful if a little ostentatious, though if they weren’t perfectly appointed we’d complain about that too. My favorite was the blue room, which is also the Queen’s favorite. With white and gold accents, it manages to be beautiful without reminding you too much of Versailles colors.
We also toured the mews/garage area, where we saw the carriage horses and many of the carriages.
I was very impressed with the horses. As a former horse owner myself, I was particularly charmed by how clean and healthy their coats were. I didn’t know the breed off the top of my head — these are far more sophisticated than the quarter horses I’ve had– but a quick google search says that the carriage horses are Windsor Greys or Cleveland Bays. I really really really wanted to pat them and brush them and feed them sugar cubes, but I understand why that’s not allowed. Unlike the no-pictures-inside-the-palace-rule, this one makes sense.
Here are some of the various everyday carriages used by the palace people.
Nemo me impune lacessit is Latin for No one harasses me with impunity. This is the Scottish motto. It reminds me of the Texas motto, but classy
But these are just your everyday carriages. For special occasions, there is the real thing.
I mean really.
In addition to touring the palace and the mews, the ticket included a special exhibit of da Vinci sketches.
The above is his fantasy about what a woman might look like.
He had a much better grasp of the male form.
These are just a few of all the sketches, many of which included math and that backwards handwriting he used. It was very interesting to see his mathematical approach to art and life. His interests were so varied I felt a little lost and very small. It’s hard to get me to read a book outside my usual genres, let alone endeavor a whole new area of study. So, even though his understanding of the feminine form was theoretical at best, I’ll give credit where it’s due.
Outside the rear facade of the palace, we could start taking pictures again.
Here’s the lawn in the backyard.
After the tour, you’re dumped Disney-style into a gift shop and gently encouraged to follow the wooded path to the outside.
We did so in time for tea, which will be detailed in a special edition tea time post.
Walking around London, we saw many sights, such as this pretty building.
It’s not a church, it’s the royal courts. Imagine going here to try to reason with the lawmen. Terrifying.
Also spotted was ye olde Cheshire cheese, a pub I’ve been wanting to visit. 
Unfortunately the pub was packed and I was in no mood to stand around. We went to an old familiar pub in St. Katherine’s docks for Pimm’s.
And a small dinner after.
It was a fine large day with a lot of public transportation, walking, and a single terrifying taxi ride.
Maybe someday I’ll learn how to take a vacation without running a marathon.
Not today.
paralyzedbynotcaring 