My first day out in London, I had to do everything touristy. I immediately went to the corner of Hyde Park where they were giving free tours so I could experience all the main attraction points in just a few hours. London is one of the world’s leading tourism destinations. You can see everything in London in just a day by visiting the three palaces, Tower of London, Big Bend, London Eye, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Harrods, and the nightlife at Piccadilly Circus. For more information on popular tourist areas in London go to http://www.londonpass.com/londonTopAttractions.asp?aid=211&gclid=CNq4o7evwKICFVOY2AodRio26Q.
My favorite attraction was Buckingham Palace. This Palace was built in 1702 by the Duke of Buckingham. The front of the Palace has remained unchanged from the original design over 300 years ago. Queen Victoria was the first monarch to reside in Buckingham Palace in 1837. Today, Buckingham Palace is not only the home of the Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh, but it is also used for administrative work for the monarchy. For more information about the history of Buckingham Palace go to this website, http://www.changing-the-guard.com/buckingham-palace.html#history.
The most exciting part for tourist is the changing of the guard that happens almost every day in the months of June through August. This event happens most days at 11:30 and last for 30 minutes. On certain days the changing of the guard does not happen so check the schedule at http://www.changing-the-guard.co.uk/guards-schedule-times.html. This is a formal ceremony where the old and new guards face each other and exchange keys of the Palaces. This has become a tourist attraction because it has been going on for many years and signifies the handing-over of responsibility from the ‘old guard’ who have been standing guard at St. James’s and Buckingham Palace, to the ‘new guard’. Even though it was very crowded when I made it to the Palace, I was still able to get up to the gates and watch some of the guards march in a procession. My tour guide said that the people living in London do not think this is a big deal at all. She said that the reason they do it every day in the summer is for the tourist because they want people have something to watch when coming to the Palace.
Buckingham Palace is what a lot of people think of when they think of London. Certain landmarks and monuments define London. Buckingham Palace represents London as a territory and as nationalism because they are very proud of it because there is so much history behind it. The changing of the guard represents territory not only as a nation, but also as a territory because they are protecting the Palace.
After experiencing London and the many tourist sites for four days, there are still so many more sites I want to see because there is so much history behind everything. Even though the changing of the guards does not have much significance in some people’s minds, I would still recommend it because it is a huge tourist attraction to others.
When you toured Hyde Park, was most of the park shut off by fences for the concert? Dave and I tried to walk around the park on Thursday before the concert on friday, but could barely see anything because of the fences. I can't say I agree with you that my favorite part was Buckingham Palace. Although I didn't get to see the changing of the guards, I just didn't think the building was very aesthetically pleasing. Even though there was a guard on duty, the gates were closed so he was so far away I could barely see him.
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