UK, Day 2 - Will & Kate's Wedding!

The nice man at Paddington said that the first tube train to Westminster left at 5:30am, so that was our goal to get out in the morning. We didn't quite make it, but we were still pretty early. We came out of Westminster Station a little after 6. I had checked the forecast on Wednesday, and it said rain, but the day dawned clear. We had popped up in a different spot than where we had gone below the night before, but we just followed the crowd. We ended up in Parliament Square, which it right across from the north side of Westminster Abbey. We didn't know that until later, though, when one of the other crowd members told her friend on the phone. Well, we knew we were across from the Abbey, but not that we were in Parliament Square. All four sides were crowded, but we went to the side with the most people, since we figured they knew what they were doing. We set up our little camp stools and settled in for the wait. The barriers had been set up in the road a bit, so there were a few rows of people down on the street, and then we were a few rows back up on the curb.

The first few hours were uneventful. Around 9-ish, people started to arrive. Ambassadors got to come in cars, but most guests were bussed in. We heard a cheer go up when Posh & Becks drove up, but they didn't come in front of us. About 10:15, the royalty started showing up. Will & Harry were first, followed by Eugenie & Beatrice. Charles & Camilla were next, and then the Queen and Prince Phillip. Then the bridesmaids and pages, and finally Kate & her dad. They all arrived by car, and the pictures of the cars aren't great. You can see a flash of Harry's epaulet in one car, and a spot of yellow from the Queen. It was still exciting, though, and people were cheering and waving their flags every time somebody drove by.

Once the wedding started, people broke off  the crowds around the edges and pulled out their picnics. There were loudspeakers around the park, so we got to hear the whole service. There was also a narrator that told us what was happening at key places in the wedding. When Will & Kate said their vows, huge rounds of cheering sprung up, and the narrator said that they were able to hear the cheers inside. Which necessitated another cheer. Everybody sang the hymns, and then we all sang God Save the Queen.

Towards the end of the ceremony, I decided to stand on my stool for the procession back. I stood up there early, so people would know not to stand behind me. I went to the back, trying not to be rude. I stood up there for a long time. It was really uncomfortable, because it was a cloth folding stool, and it required quite a bit of balance. But, I wanted to be up high for pictures. We watched the Navy line the street in front of us and get inspected. We watched all of the fancy horse groups get ready for the procession. The ladies that Em had been chatting up earlier had moved to the front, and they took Em with them. The Australian girl next to me, Kristina, asked if she could borrow one of our other stools to stand on. We said sure. Finally, we heard a cheer from the crowd in front of the main entrance. (We were in front of the north entrance, where many of the lesser guests went in, but the main door is on the west). It was Will & Kate! Oh, pardon, the Duke & Duchess of Cambridge
I had an excellent view, but forgot that I had the camera on the continuous setting, and when I let go of the button, it took a few seconds to register the pictures. By the time it was ready again, I had pretty much passed them. Luckily, Kristina (our new Australian friend) had gotten some good ones, so she shared them with us. Then, I got down off my perch, not thinking about the fact that the rest of the family had to go by, too. Kristina, smarter than me, stayed up, and she shared those pictures with us, too. The ladies with Em pulled me up front, too, so I had a wonderful view, but I was in a precarious position, and so couldn't balance to take pictures.

The Queen and Prince Philip

Charles, Camilla, and the Middletons

After the carriages went by, it was time to go. We decided not to go towards the Palace to see the kiss, since we knew everybody in London would be there (it was estimated that there were a million extra people in London for the wedding), and we wouldn't be able to see anything, anyway. So, we were going to go to pick up our London passes for the second half of our trip, and then go back to the hotel for a rest. We needed to go north out of Parliament Square, but the flood of people heading to the Palace wouldn't let us go that way. So, we headed west with everybody else. We needed to turn right to get across Birdcage Walk, but the streets were still blocked off, so we couldn't. We were swept up with the people heading to the Palace, all the time getting further and further away from where we needed to be. Finally, we saw a spot that looked like it was going to be a crossing place, but it still wasn't open. Turns out, there was still a parade to come. So, we sat and watched the parade and waited for the street to open. It finally did, and we were able to cut across The Mall to where we needed to be.

We went to the tourist office and picked up our passes. (It would save us from having to waste time picking them up when we came back) Then, we headed back to the hotel. We picked up some sandwiches in Paddington Station for lunch, and took a nap.

Emma says - The wedding was really cool, but instead of sitting for hours, I stood for hours. I got to be in a mass of screaming people, and I got a flag. I saw the dress!