A week in London with the Lycee, Day 3

Day 3:

Day 3 fortunately turned out to be better, since we went to Buckingham Palace and got to see the changing of the guard, a bigger deal than I previously thought. I have been to the changing of the guard at Arlington National Cemetery in Washington and it's a solemn ceremony. When I thought of the changing of the guard, I thought it would be something similar. Yet, of course, I recognized I was in front of a "royal" palace rather than the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The ceremony was even funnier than I expected it to be. It was a spectacle, complete with marching of the royal guard and trumpet fanfare. Perhaps even funnier was the music that came from contemporary sources such as from the musical comedy "Hairspray" ("You can't stop the beat"). I almost had an attack of laughter when I heard this music playing. What's more the entire ceremony lasted for about two hours and everyone was sweating in the heat and absorbing UV rays. ]

Through all of this, I could only think of how funny it was that even in the midst of a democracy (Parliament) in Britain, there is still this sense of tradition in the monarchy, something that shapes the conscience of the Briton. It was pretty fascinating to feel that. Britons are proud of their history, their Pound Sterling (in spite of the Euro), even the fact that they still drive on the left side of the road. My time in front of Buckingham Palace made me think of how particular the British are. Pride in the country, the tradition, the efficiency. No wonder, so many people think London is the center of the world. (After all, every country's time zone is based on GMT or Greenwich Mean Time, which is based from a town not too far from London). Yet, it also reminded me of my own pride in the United States.


After seeing the changing of the guard, we then walked up to Trafalgar Square, where we found the National Portrait Gallery. Instead of looking at the art, I went with Anne (a colleague) to buy some tea and do a little bit of shopping and went inside Saint Martin in the Fields. (This of course, reminded me of the time when Academy of St. Martin in the Fields orchestra came to Covenant College a couple years ago. It was fascinating to go inside this church that holds a history of classical music in the London area.) Our visits were followed by a bus tour around London to ease our weary feet. (Not actually sure how far we walked, but it had to be 10-11 miles a day, almost the equivalent of a theme park. In fact, so much of being in London, made me think we were inside a theme park, looking around and queuing up for attractions. Interesting reflection to think about.)