Tuesday, July 1, 2025

Day 2 Trooping the Colour -

 



June 14 was my 71st birthday.  I set the alarm for 5 a.m., and managed to get myself out of bed and ready to go by 5:30, tiptoing down the hall and out the door without waking my host.  She said she never heard me.  I got a good place across from Horse Guards, similar to where I stood last year.  

The weather was MUCH NICER than last year.  Plenty of sunshine and no rain!

The early bird gets a good position.






The Duchess of Edinburgh and Sir Tim Laurence













The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester





















I chose to spend my birthday with a real King


The Prince of Wales. the Duke of Edinburgh and the Princess Royal



The Security policeman is not my best friend
































Seriously, dude!












I see a hat/




























































we fill in behind the police






























The police opened the gates not always in order -- so getting close to the balcony was not easy this year --too many tall people









The Red Arrows








After the Royal Family went into the Palace, the crowd began to make its way out of the courtyard.  After texting a friend, I headed toward Piccadilly and Fortnum and Mason's for the Cafe, where I had made a reservation for three.  My friend Chris and her friend were joining me for lunch.   The cafe was packed.  The reservation was for 2 hours.  We were there for nearly 2.5 hours when one of the waitstaff said we had to leave as people were waiting for a table.  I explained that we had asked for the bill, but our waiter was busy.

I flagged down a manager and repeated my request for the bill (which we were splitting).  He comes back with a birthday treat for me. 




 The waitress who had suggested we leave (not because of our behavior) looked at me. I smiled at her and said, 'We are not going right now.'    After I finished the treat (gratis), the bill finally arrived and we paid it.  As we were leaving, the waitress wished me a happy birthday!   Thanks.  

The three of us bought a few things at Fortnum's.  Me: Royal Blend tea, jam, and honey.  Chris and her friend were meeting other friends of theirs for dinner, so they returned to their hotel. I stopped in at Hatchards, where I bought a book, "Jane Seymour, Henry VIII's True Love" by Elizabeth Norton.







I headed back to Camden Town to bring my packages to my Airbnb, and then went to the ticket booth in Leicester Square.  I looked at the choices on the board and decided on A Midsummer Night's Dream at the Bridge Theatre.   The closest Tube stop was London Bridge on the Northern Line, which meant I did not have to change trains.  

This was one fantastic production.  Highly recommended.



The Bridge Theatre is a few minutes walk from Tower Bridge.









  I decided to walk across the bridge to Tower Bridge station and then change at Embankment for the Northern Line back to Camden, where I stopped in one of the pubs for an ale, as a final birthday drink.


Tomorrow - Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace   






1 comment:

JohnF said...

Looks like you had a full and enjoyable day. I stayed home & watched the trooping on the TV. The fly past does come over my house tho so is always great watching the planes fly over & then turn to the TV & they're there over the Palace. Have to say tho I much prefered when we had a full balcony, the current 'working royal' effort appears a bit lacklustre.