January 2, 2000

Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace

Our first goal on Sunday was to return to Buckingham palace to see the changing of the guard. We were minorly disappointed to learn that the guard was wearing dark blue. Apparently the classic red uniforms are summer wear.


A military band leads the procession.


A pair of soldiers inspect the gates.


The full squad at the far end of the courtyard.

Pettycoat Lane

The Pettycoat Lane flea market is a Sunday afternoon tradition. We saw lots and lots of cheap junk, with a few gems. At one end of the lane there was a large gathering of leather coat dealers. We escaped with only buying four London T-Shirts for £ 10.

Greenwich

Our next destination was Greenwich. The first stop was the very controversial Millenium Dome. There was an amazing hullabaloo in the local papers about the attactions, the lines, and the snafus that took place during its grand openning for the New Year. We settled for taking a close look at the outside.


As seen in The World is Not Enough

A short bus ride away was the Royal Observatory, home of the Prime Meridian (0 ° longitude). We enjoyed a nice picnic lunch on the lawn, then hiked up the hill to the obseratory itself.


The Dome as seen from the Observatory.


Lloyd and Patty stand on the Prime Meridian.

Near the observatory is a neat market, the Cutty Sark (famous sailing tea merchantman), a solo round the world sailboat, and the Greenwich foot tunnel which allows one to walk under the Thames.


The first shop in the world.


Lloyd & Patty at the Cutty Sark.

The Isle of Dogs

After walking under the Thames, we arrived on the Isle of Dogs, so called because it was home to Henry VIII's hunting dogs. We boarded a modern bus with stadium (sloped) seating for a slightly harrowing highspeed ride to a London Underground station to allow us to head home.

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Copyright (c) 2000 Lloyd B. Eldred, all rights reserved.