It was down to the final few days of the #PenningsFirstEuroTrip, so Roslyn took Monday to Wednesday off work to play guide for Brad, Suella and Adam.
On Monday they went for a drive to Dover, two hours south east of London. Dover is a major port linking England to France and is famous for its white cliffs. These chalk faced cliffs reach up to 110 metres high, and Brad brought a sample home from their stroll.
The following day, Roslyn took them across to Covent Garden to browse the markets and observe the street performers. As part of Suella's birthday present, she and Roslyn went to afternoon tea at The Ritz, a five star hotel near Buckingham Palace. Meanwhile, Brad and Adam went for some last minute souvenir shopping.
That evening we took the car for its final spin back to the return location, and then across to the Tower of London for the Ceremony of the Keys. This is the traditional locking of the tower by the Yeoman Warders, often referred to Beefeaters, and has been taking place for 700 years. At 9:30pm, we were escorted into the Tower complex by one of the Yeoman Warders, who was quite theatrical and entertaining considering the ancient formalities that were about to unfold.
There is a strict no cameras and no phones policy - unfortunately we have no photos from the evening. Apparently the ceremony has never been photographed, to make it more "special" for visitors. As we waited outside Traitor's Gate, we were given an overview of the history of the Tower itself, as well as what would occur during the ceremony.
At exactly 9:52pm the Chief Yeoman Warder comes out of the Byward Tower, dressed in red, carrying a candle lantern in one hand and the Queen’s Keys in the other hand. He meets four foot guards at the Traitor's Gate, and they escort him throughout the ceremony. We remained where we were, as they cavalry walked in step to the outer iron gates. They then return, locking the oak gates closer within the Tower. As they return they are challenged by a soldier lying in wait, to ensure that they are not invaders. The entire ceremony is over by 10:05pm, and all visitors are escorted back out.
Wednesday was the Pennings' final day abroad, and aside from packing up and trying to make space in their bags for the things they'd purchased over here, Roslyn took them across to Hyde Park. Lunch was at the Serpentine Bar and Kitchen, a glass walled cafe perched on the edge of the lake. The Pennings struck it lucky with the weather throughout their stay, although cold the sun was out and shining which made it ideal for getting out and exploring. With this, Roslyn and Adam hired Boris bikes and went for a ride around the park while Brad and Suella stayed at the cafe.
For their final evening, we stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn at Heathrow Airport. We rose on Thursday morning, and headed across to the terminal. We went for breakfast and sat around dragging out the remaining time we had for as long as possible. Eventually, it was time to say goodbye and as we watched Brad, Suella and Adam pass through security at around 10:30am, we knew the holiday was over :( We headed off to work but within five minutes of arriving, Roslyn's boss said that she should go and work from home for the afternoon.
Fast forward to Saturday, and Roslyn had a travel trade show, Excursions 2016, at Alexandra Palace, known affectionately as Ally Pally.
While we were away on the cruise, Adam and Lauren had revealed to us the unfortunate news that they'd decided to move back to Australia. Sunday afternoon was filled with us meeting potential new housemates.
Highlights for the week:
- Day trip drive to Dover (Pennings)
- Covent Garden (Pennings)
- Afternoon tea at The Ritz (Suella and Roslyn)
- Ceremony of the Keys at Tower of London
- Hyde Park, lunch at Serpentine Bar and Kitchen (Pennings)
- Boris bike riding through Hyde Park (Adam and Roslyn)
- Overnight stay at the Hilton Hotel
- End of the Penning's holiday, departure for Australia
- Roslyn worked on the travel trade show at Excursions, at Alexandra Palace
- New housemate hunting
No comments:
Post a Comment