A Royal London Getaway
While this was not my first trip to London, it was a fast and whirlwind trip to one of my favorite cities… London, England. While visiting London was only the start of another grand adventure (more to come on that later), the flight to London was fairly uneventful and I got a good night’s rest in the Polaris class cabin of my United flight. Waking up refreshed and in the UK, I was ready to be back in London! After a very hot summer in Europe it was lovely to walk outside the airport and need a jacket. My driver was ready to take me to the Rubens at the Palace Hotel (https://rubenshotel.com/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=local&utm_campaign=hotel-the-rubens-at-the-palace). As I pulled up to my hotel I was pleasantly surprised to see how truly close it was to Buckingham Palace. The doorman in a bright red jacket and black top hat met me at the the door. The hotel is beautifully decorated with a British charm. After checking in I made my way to the 4th floor and unlocked the door. My bags were already waiting for me in my room. The hotel staff had left me a nice note, welcoming me to the hotel and had the most delectable chocolate cake.
I decided that I would take a walk and take in the beautiful London city scape and cool autumn air. I made my way to the Buckingham Palace gates (which was only about 5-minute walk from my hotel entrance). After snapping a picture in front of the palace and Queen Victoria statue, I made my way to the Royal Guardsmen post and The Household Cavalry Museum. There I was able to be up close (it doesn’t hurt to know people, LOL) to witness a 4 O’clock inspection of the King’s Life Guard. If you are not familiar with this post, the King’s Life Guard occurs only when His Majesty, The King is in London.
Following the Life Guard Inspection ceremony, I continued my walk through the city towards Big Ben, Westminster Abbey and made my way to Portobello Market area.
There are some great shops and bars/pubs along the way. That evening I decided to try a new restaurant called BBar (https://bbarlondon.com/). It was wonderful. I enjoyed a cheese toastie and chips (grilled cheese and fries). As I made my way back to the hotel for the evening, I enjoyed listening to the rain as it hit my umbrella.
The bed was so comfortable that the morning came too fast. I had decided that I would go to the Palace for the Changing of the Guard ceremony since it would feature the Queen’s Gurkha Engineers with Musical Support from Band and Bugles of The Rifles (Full Mount) and the Band of the Grenadier Guards (Full Dismount). I knew I had to arrive early to have a spot close to the gates. I luckily had brought with me a small tote bag that I was able to sit on (as I waited for about 1.5 hours). As the ceremony start time approached the crowds got thicker and thicker and soon the entire area near the gate was packed with people. The roundabout area near the Victoria statue was also filled with spectators. As the royal band marched closer to the palace, the excitement of the crowd grew. Whether you have seen this many time or if it is your first time, seeing the strict marching, perfectly timed and in synch is truly amazing. Crowds of people stood gawking and hoping to catch a glimpse of this historical and perfectly timed out change of the royal guard. Of course my favorite tune played by the band was the FRIENDS theme song, which of course made me smile and think of the episode with Joey and Chandler…”It’s London, Baby!” or “I have to get into the map.” If you are a FRIENDS fan you’ll know the episode I am thinking of.
Following the changing of the guard at the palace, I had another easy going day filled with lots of walking and enjoying the views. I decided to have dinner at another new place (new to me at least) called the Rail House (https://www.riding.house/locations/victoria) in Victoria. I sat at the bar and met a young couple from Atlanta, on their first trip to London. The food and drinks were delicious. It was located in a great area near Victoria Train Station.
As I made way back to the hotel for the evening I reflected on my brief but truly enjoyable stay in London. I stopped by the bar inside the hotel for a night cap and truly enjoyed a lovely conversation with a mom and son from Cork. The bar staff was kind, and engaging in conversation with the patrons.
Again, the morning seem to come to fast, but luckily the checkout process was easy and the staff was helpful getting my luggage from my room down to the lobby and into the car once my driver arrived. I will definitely come back to the Ruben’s hotel in London as they made my brief stay in the London area comfortable and enjoyable. I can’t wait to come back to London for a longer stay, but for now it was a nice way to enjoy a brief Royal London Getaway before embarking on my next adventure.
