Hello Everyone!

I wasn't going to post a blog entry tonight because I'm so tired, but I am sitting in a fairly nice 1st Class Lounge at Paddington Train Station and have some time to kill. There is free wi-fi, so here we go....

I did a load of laundry last night and packed my suitcase so I wouldn't have too much to have to do this morning. When I checked out, I had to decide whether or not to leave my bags at the hotel or take them to Paddington Station. I decided against leaving them at the hotel since they would not be responsible should anything happen. I wasn't too sure how careful they were with access to the luggage room.

Then, being the cheapskate that I am, I had the brilliant idea that I could just walk to Paddington instead of taking a cab. Huge mistake! It was at least a mile away and I had to stop every 2 blocks to rest. My calves were really burning. I figured I'd done all this walking all week but I wasn't wearing a heavy backpack and pulling a heavy suitcase. But, I made it.

I entrusted my bags to their Left Luggage service and then went upstairs to Starbucks to check messages. My second mistake of the day was grabbing a quick bite for lunch since I hadn't had any breakfast.

I then decided I needed to go to Harrod's today if I was ever going to go. One guy at the station gave me wrong tube directions but I found a faster way on my own with only one line change.

I found Harrod's and really enjoyed their window displays. I took a few pictures. Most were in celebration of the Diamond Jubilee. Once inside the store, I made my way to the infamous food hall. OMG! Such wondrous delights! But, it was actually a little too overwhelming. And, since I had already eaten lunch, nothing sounded very good. I could have had something really decadent, but I left empty handed. I still felt crappy from the sore throat and the pain was radiating up into my jaw. Don't know what's going on, but it's painful and makes me cranky.

So, I sat outside Harrod's for a little bit just people-watching until I decided that I should go to Buckingham Palace. I had to get back on the tube and traveled to Hyde Park Corner. From there, I just followed the signs and started walking. It was a hike.

Since the Queen's Diamond Jubilee is coming up in a couple of weeks, there were a lot of preparations going on for the festivities. For example, when I was at Windsor Castle, some of the rooms were being set up with tables for something that was going to happen there. Today, all roads going toward the Palace were closed and blocked off. There were staging areas here and there and lots of security. There were even signs that instructed bicyclists to walk their bikes through the area.

The area behind Buckingham Palace has a high spiked iron fence with electrical & barbed wire and more spikes on top. That's permanent, though, and not for the Jubilee celebrations.

When I finally got there, it was a little disappointing because the whole public area out front was being prepped. It was surrounded by orange & white barricades and lots of scaffolding. There were construction workers everywhere. They were even repaving the road. But, I got a really good look at the Palace.

From there, I decided to walk toward the Horse Guards Parade to see if anything was going on. To get there I had to walk through St. James Park. It was such a nice park! There were lots of waterfowl and other wildlife to enjoy as well as some pretty landscaping. I had seen a couple of uniformed royal guards or something trot by on horseback but, when I got to the parade area there was nothing going on. I realized I was fairly close to Westminster tube station and thought about making my way there so I could come back to Paddington--even though it was way too early.

There was a uniformed guard standing in this archway and people were stopping to take pictures of him. A girl asked if I would take her picture with him and I said I would and then she took my picture with him. Turns out she is from San Francisco. Her name is Debra. So, we got to talking and walking and ended up walking over the Thames River and rode the London Eye. It was fun to have someone to talk to for a little while. She was really nice.

I wasn't planning to do the London Eye because it was such a cloudy day, but it was now or never. I'm not afraid of heights and it was a smooth, slow ride. But, about 3/4 of the way through, I started to feel a little queasy and sat down.

After getting off the ride, we parted ways and I had to cross back over the river and go to the tube station. From there it was a long tube ride back to Paddington.

I was completely worn out. Every bone & muscle in my body is screaming in agony. I can't wait to get on the train and go to bed.

I will wake up tomorrow in Cornwall--the land of my ancestors! And, if my train is on time and plans go smoothly, I will get to see the Olympic Torch pass by with my Cornish cousins!!