Despite pouring rain, it was decided that we would go exploring. The destination: Buckingham Palace via Victoria tube station. Surprisingly, it was easy to go in and out of the Royal Circle area as the outer gates weren’t locked due to car traffic and the inner gate only had two officers on duty. Of course, we decided it would be best for our reputations if we turned around and went home rather than be caught and forced to hide in cardboard boxes and conveniently placed lockers.
This reminds me of a story I read about five years ago when a guy dressed up as Batman sneaked into Buckingham Palace, prompting media criticism and an increase in security presence. Maybe Batman should have operated at night.
Here’s a shot I took at the gates. You can barely make out a sign informing the public that there’s a daily guard changing ceremony at 11:30a every day.
Here’s the fountain at the center of the Royal Circle. We were soaked and hurried back to the Victoria tube station. It proved to be a boneheaded move because there were no shades or balconies to block the rain along the way. We could have simply walked across Green Park to a much closer station and avoided being further drenched.
Today (Christmas Eve) we decided to go back to Buckingham Palace. There were a lot more tourists in the morning, but it rained again. So another soggy start to the day. More photos beneath the fold.
Here’s the gate separating Buckingham from Green Park. There was no color correction done to this photo. This is what it actually looked like, at 10:00 in the morning.
When I watched Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, I remember raising a brow at how gray London looked at the beginning of the movie. Turns out it wasn’t an exaggeration.
Here you see the inner gates of Buckingham Palace. We weren’t the only ones soaked due to lack of umbrella. The difference is they were astute enough to see the ‘No Changing of the Guard’ sign and left before the rain worsened.
Here’s a shot from the fountain. Following this wet experience, we went to the office and borrowed an umbrella from reception. Of course, it stopped raining for the rest of the day and we ended up carrying it for nothing.
No wonder the guards don’t get perturbed. They stand far from the tourists.
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