Last weekend PB and I ventured into London to visit the Queen. I mean, I guess we were among hundreds that day visiting Her Majesty... but still. I mean, I should also admit that she was not in residence when we visited, but I'm sure it's simply down to an error with her NOT being notified that we were coming.
Obviously.
We saw the State Rooms the summer before last, but I we decided that since *THE DRESS* was being shown that perhaps we needed a re-do.
PB had booked us "Royal Day Out" tickets which got us into the Dutch Landscapes exhibition in the Gallery, the Royal Mews and the State Rooms. The landscapes were gorgeous! However, there was only so many landscapes I could handle before I wanted to move on.
Although there was some beautiful vases on display... I think they would look gorgeous in our house, no?
Also, all royals need a diamond encrusted sword. I told PB this would be a great addition to my stocking this Christmas...
After exploring the Gallery we moved on to the Royal Mews. This is where all of the Queen's carriages, cars and horses are kept. Interestingly enough, the Queen names every single horse that is part of the Royal Mews.
We first wandered past all of the State Carriages and finally came upon this beauty. Do you all recognize it?
It is the Rolls Royce that the Duchess took to her wedding! It was gorgeous in person. I apologize for the wonky picture but the display was set up in such a way that it was almost impossible to get a good picture.
We then moved onto the stables. They were absolutely beautiful The aqua tiles were simply stunning...
Unfortunately only 2 horsies were in residence. Too bad I didn't have a carrot or a mint to treat the fuzzy royal to!
After the stables we were able to see the carriage that the Duchess & Prince William took from Westminster back to Buckingham Palace. It was bigger than I expected it to be!
Then we walked passed the macdaddy of carriages. I can't remember, but I *THINK* this was from the Queen's Coronation? Maybe? Regardless, it was HUGE, grand and quite ornate!
Finally, it was time to hit Buckingham Palace. When you enter the Palace to see the State Rooms they require you to turn your camera off, so no pictures for us! In addition to the State Rooms, a portion of the Queen's Faberge collection was on display. There was one egg literally encrusted with a gazillion diamonds. It was my favorite, naturally!
We also saw THE DRESS. Let me tell you. It was beautiful in person and you can really tell just how absolutely tiny the Duchess is! It would have maybe fit my left thigh... on a good day. We ended with lunch at the Cafe on the terrace before walking through the gardens to the exit. We were lucky that we stopped to eat when we did because it absolutely POURED the rain and we would have gotten soaked!
After our Royal Day out, we went to check in to the Intercontinental Park Lane. While we only live 40 minutes outside of the city, PB thought it would be fun to make a weekend of it! We have been staying at the Intercontinental since my first trip over 2 years ago. It's a gorgeous hotel in a perfect location. It's only about a 5/10 minute walk to Buckingham Palace and sits adjacent to Hyde Park. We checked in only to find out we had been upgraded!
We walked in to this entrance... and about collectively peed our pants.
We had a dining room.
Desk & bar area...
Living room with a stunning view over the Park... (the chaise on the left by the window was MY spot.)
Our bedroom was gigantic.
Well appointed bathroom... I mean, a bidet?! Come on, now.
And to top it off we had plush Frette bathrobes waiting to be snuggled into...
We rested (meaning I sat in MY chaise by the window in my fancy bathrobe and read my book while PB did the same on the sofa with his book) and enjoyed our fantastic upgrade before we headed out to dinner in Notting Hill... Stay tuned for the rest of our fabulous mini-staycation in London!
Are you going to visit the Queen before the State Rooms close in October?
Posted in: Fun,London,Travel
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