STAFF REVIEW: CHANGING OF THE GUARD TOUR IN LONDON
Connor and I love going to London, so we thought of trying this Changing of the Guard Tour to get to know the famous cosmopolitan city even more.
Although I was really excited for this new experience, I had absolutely no idea what to expect - but Connor convinced me it is a true cultural experience not to miss out on when visiting London, therefore we must do it.
On the day of the experience, we got our cameras charged and ready for our day out in London. We then made our way through to London to reach our meeting point: The Ritz in Mayfair.
Next to the luxurious hotel we met our tour guide, Mike, who was awaiting our arrival with a yellow umbrella and a radiant smile. He explained he was going to oversee the entire tour for the day. Connor and I could not wait to begin.
As soon as everyone was ready to depart, we began our tour with a brief introduction of what we will be visiting on this sunny day out, but mainly what the Changing of the Guard Ceremony is all about. Our tour guide also added a few quiz questions along the way to keep us captivated.
We first started walking along St James Street, heading towards the St James Palace where Princess Alexandra resides. We then reached Marlborough Road, which is where the Changing of the Guard ceremony begins.
Before the ceremony, our guide Mike explained that guards from different parts of the UK wear different costumes to differentiate themselves from the other guards. For instance, some will have ‘plumes’ (‘feathers’ in French) which are represented in different colors, and other guards will have different costumes.
Another fun fact Mike told us about was that the guards have big, tall hats to make them look taller and more apparent to the eye. Okay, I will stop telling you everything now because I will spoil the whole tour for you.
Now is the time we have all been waiting for: The official commencement of the changing of the guards! Within a few seconds, people began gathering around in the street as the ceremony was about to begin. Instantly a 3-minute period of silence began, before one guard opened the gates and began singing and getting the rest of his cavalry. It was breath-taking; almost too good to be true.
As the guards were getting ready to start their walk towards Buckingham Palace, we started marching with them. We could see the guards being very musically inclined and in sync with each other, it was beautiful.
They kept marching until they arrived at the palace. We then made our way right in front of Buckingham Palace, and we were able to take a couple of pictures during this sunny day. Again, we learned a couple of cool facts from our knowledgeable guide, such as which flag tells us that the Queen is in the palace, or how many rooms are in the palace. You wouldn't believe your ears if you heard how many rooms it holds!
We then saw the guards enter the palace with even more music, and the guards that needed to be replaced had to move out to the left. It was amazing to be able to see such a unique scene.
When the parade ended, we left for our final destination: The famous Big Ben and Westminster Palace, where we learned plenty of fun facts about the area, including the famous royal weddings and ceremonies that took place. We terminated the tour with a nice, summery picture and had a great time. As we usually do, Connor and I laughed many times as this was a wonderful tour.
Thanks to Mike for making this tour unforgettable. Connor and I had a memorable time, and we recommend this to anyone who would like to visit London and or enjoy a day out with family and friends.
