London - Day One - Kensington Palace

I arrived in London in the evening of May 31, having taken the 8:15 a.m. United Flight from Dulles, which arrives about 8:50 p.m.  I took a cab from the airport to my Air Bnb in Battersea.  (The total cost for eight nights (with breakfast) was under $600. )

I spent the day at Kensington Palace to take in the superb new exhibitions commemorating the 200th anniversary of the birth of Queen Victoria.  Thank you, Clair, for letting me in :)

The entrance to the Young Victoria exhibit begins with the tiaras, including the Fife tiara.   I also spent time in the State apartments and was "invited" to help Victoria prepare for her move to Buckingham Palace.

I had lunch at the Kensington Palace cafe - skipped the healthy salad for Victoria Sponge cake and tea (and water.)   Absolutely to eat Victoria Sponge cake after seeing the Victoria exhibit.

Take your time to scroll through the photos.  I have included links to the places I visited.

After finally leaving the exhibit, I walked through the gardens and toward the the pond to see the Swans.  I hear my name, which surprised me ... it was Andrea Camano, the editor for Hello magazine's website.  We follow each other on Twitter and she had seen my tweets earlier that day.  No, she was no stalking me -- she and her husband and young son were walking through the park ... pure coincidence  .. and it made my day.

Dinner was at the Garrick Arms, a pub on Charing Cross Road and then saw a performance of Waitress with Katharine McPhee.  Excellent.

I was looking for twitching curtains at the Cambridges' residence

Carl Prince of Leiningen - half brother

Feodora

William IV

Dress Victoria wore at age 10

Victoire

Duke of Kent

This is the room where Victoria was born.  The furniture is not original.  It was last opened to the public in the late 1980s - early 1990s before being used as an office.  

Sons of George III

at the Accession council

Victoria's Coronation robe

and then a visit to the State Apartments

and then the other Victoria exhibit

Victoria's mourning clothes

OOPS .. hope this has been corrected

Worn by Queen Alexandra

Sculpted by Lady Feodora Gleichen

dress worn by Diana, Princess of Wales

Lunch at Kensington Palace .. Victoria Sponge cake

Bird walking off with a grape.  Wonderful colors.  Don't know the type of bird

The Cupola room where Victoria was baptized

went back to see the tiaras again

Victoria's travel bed 

Baroness Lehzen

Helping the queen pack to move to Buckingham Palace

On sale in the Kensington Palace shop

Andrea Camano , online editor for Hello, and myself.

This is how you do a Hula hoop

Charing Cross

where I catch the 345 or 49 to Battersea

https://www.hrp.org.uk/kensington-palace/


https://www.greeneking-pubs.co.uk/pubs/greater-london/garrick-arms/


https://waitressthemusical.co.uk/


Day 2:  Blenheim Palace