London...

[khiemtran]

So, I'm in London on Day Release from Heathrow. I've just been wandering jetlagged through the National Gallery and I still have an hour or so to kill before meeting lethargic_man, green_knight and caper_est for lunch, so I'm heading off towards the Thames to take some photos.

But... what are those police doing in front of that archway?


It turns out the archway is actually Admiralty Arch and it leads to a street called The Mall and St James Park.



But today, the road has been fenced off and there are crowds gathering along the side.



The police are only letting people cross at certain points. They are laugh and joke with the spectators and everyone is in a holiday mood.



That's Buckingham Palace down at the other end.



I soon find out there's a parade on, actually a dress rehearsal for the Trooping of the Colour (two weeks later). The rehearsal is called the Major General's review. There will another one next week called the Colonel's Review. I follow the sound of military music, and, sure enough , there is a huge crowd at the nearby Horse Guards Parade.



The crowd is so big, it's difficult to get a decent view. This is the closest I can get. (I didn't realise it, but one block over to the right is Number 10 Downing Street. Don't you just hate it when your neighbours take up drumming all the time?)



If I can't get a view at Horse Guards Parade, I can still see them as they march to Buckingham Palace. Lots of other people have the same idea.



Unfortunately, the troops are behind schedule. While we wait, two police stage their own mini-parade.



A tour group leads her group by the traditional umbrella.



Still waiting.



At last! Here they come!



He's forgotten his umbrella, so his sword will have to do...



Next come the artillery...



Notice how all the horses are the same colour.



Here's the dark battery...





Then a carriage, empty because this is only a rehearsal.



I wonder if this would have been the Queen's carriage...



Next come the mounted band. Those drums are loud!







I guess these are the Household Cavalry...







Then a marching band...









Note the bugles behind their backs.



Next, the infantry...



An interesting photography lesson here - they looked incredibly precise to the naked eye, but the camera shows their arms were all at different angles.





Riders bring up the rear.



I wonder if this is the Major-General?



And that's it, the parade's over...



Well, almost... Someone has to clean up after all those horses!

Comments

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

I shall have to carry a backup sword for those times when I forget my umbrella.

(*Love* the diorama-fying lens; it's great)

[khiemtran.livejournal.com]

Swords turn out to be just as effective as umbrellas for leading parades, although less useful in the rain.

(*Love* the diorama-fying lens; it's great)

It's actually just a mode on my camera that blurs the top and bottom of the picture. It's a cheap trick, but it does a good approximation of the sort of tight depth-of-field shots that the lens isn't big enough for.

[lethargic-man.livejournal.com]

Strange enough the subject of sword-carrying came up at work today (not, I hasten to add, in the context of a work conversation), when my colleague was lamenting how sword-sticks are highly illegal nowadays.

[khiemtran.livejournal.com]

The pen is mightier than the sword - but only at a distance!

[heleninwales.livejournal.com]

I'm glad London laid out a traditional British welcome for you. :)

I wish I could have seen the drum horses. They are always two-tone and they are huge and hairy to carry the weight of the drums.

[khiemtran.livejournal.com]

Yes, I'm very glad I was in the right place at the right time. (And also that I followed my eyes, instead of The Plan.) The day also featured a Cornish pasty and a flat white (just because I could), and an excellent vegetarian Shabbos lunch courtesy of lethargic_man.

[mnfaure.livejournal.com]

I love all the hats that seem to totally obscure the wearer's view. :P

And those are some beautiful horses.

[khiemtran.livejournal.com]

I guess those hats would make sure you had good posture, even if you couldn't always see where you're going. Plus, you'd always have somewhere to store your lunch...

[88greenthumb.livejournal.com]

Glad you were "released" from witnessing the masses of travelers parading in and out of Heathrow. ;) This one in London was a far better alternative.

[khiemtran.livejournal.com]

Thanks! Normally at Heathrow, I'm either rushing for a connection or walking around and around the terminal looking for something to do.