Up early again to make it to Buckingham Palace in time. We scarfed down breakfast and regrettably
left Catriona’s house. We lugged out
backpacks all the way across town and through the security line into the
palace. After a minor fiasco – I had to
take out and turn on my laptop, which was completely dead, and the converter
didn’t fit into any nearby plugs – we began our “self-guided” audio tour. The palace was indescribably beautiful, every
surface ornately decorated, gold accents glinting from every angle. The palace is complete with 700-some rooms,
240 bedrooms, and several art galleries.
We were lucky enough to see a special exhibit in honor of the diamond
jubilee: the royal diamond collection.
On display were several tiaras, swords, and jewelry pieces crafted with
massive diamonds. One display case
boasted a (huge) diamond necklace, two (huge) diamond broaches, and (huge)
diamond earrings that were all made from one diamond originally 3,106
karats. But the most incredible thing,
to me anyway, was that the palace was still in use. It was open for visitors during the summer,
but otherwise hosts meetings, dinners, and various official events.
We again lugged our backpacks to the rail
station and waved goodbye to London from the train. After being in London, Southampton seemed
disgusting to us, and we briefly searched for wi-fi before returning to the
ship. The 1.4-mile walk was much longer
today, and when we finally passed security and made it back on board we
literally crawled on the floor to avoid any more walking.
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