Day 4: London

Given the late night that we had last night, we allowed ourselves to sleep in and move slowly. But not so slow that we would miss the 'Changing the Guard' ceremony at Buckingham Palace. At least that was the plan. We got there just in time, except that it was the wrong day. The ceremony is only performed every other day at the palace. The guards alternate days between Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle. Whoops. No biggie, I'm sure we can watch it on YouTube. Plus, all was not lost, as we were pleasantly surprised by the Royal Horse Guards parading up (or is it down) The Mall.

Only a small subset of the mob scene at Buckingham Palace. That's not even the line to get into the place.

Royal Horse Guards

After all the hub bub, we made our way East on The Mile to check out Trafalgar Square. Jake said that I HAD to check out the lions. There also happened to be a Malaysian food festival going on at the same time, too. 

Nelson's Column at Tralfagar Square

Lunch at Garfunkel's - English Breakfast: [Pork and Leek] sausage, bacon, flat mushroom, grilled tomato, baked beans, chips, and fried egg, served with malted toast and butter.

I couldn't resist food on a stick, and it only cost £1! New year pudding (The lady told me it was coconut pudding, I think she had her translation wrong. Probably should have asked her in Chinese.)

The sunny, blue skies gave way to grey clouds that threatened rain in the afternoon. Perfect setting to hide out in Churchill War Rooms. Sorry, I didn't take any pictures. You will just have to go and visit. It is pretty neat. 

As evening fell, sprinkles turned into rain. Giant drops of rain. It was cold, dark, very wet night. Creepy would be one word to put it. And creepy was beyond perfect for a Jack the Ripper Tour. I think I was looking up places for afternoon tea, but somehow came across the Ripping Yarns tour which started steps away from our flat.

(source)

Jimmy the tour guide.

Dinner at Liberty Bounds. Located beneath our flat.
Abbot Ale meat pie with mashed potatoes, steamed veggies, and gravy. I washed it down with a pint of Abbot Ale. (Samsung TL225, sorry for the crappy shot.)

Previously:
Day 3: London
Day 2: Cambridge/London
Day 1: London
Day 1: London - prefunc

*All photos taken by me with Nikon D7000 unless noted.