Changing the guard at Buckingham Palace

Had a day in London with Christine. Travelled up on the train from Bearsted to Victoria. Had a coffee on Victoria Street then made our way to via Buckingham Gate to the Palace to be confronted by loads of people watching the guard being changed. Good timing.

From the Palace we walked through St James's Park to Horse Guards where we saw, like here, preparations for the Trooping of the Colour pageant in a couple of weeks time. Note the painter on the hoarding in front of Victoria's statue.

From St James's we did a circle of Parliament Square and onto Westminster Bridge for a view of the riverside terrace of the Houses of Parliament where the great and the good were enjoying the sunny day rather than getting on with the business of government.

Walking up Whitehall we passed Downing Street but are prevented from seeing anything owing to the intensive police presence. Did see, from a distance, some people coming out from No10. Was very careful not to utter the word "Pleb" within the hearing of the officers on duty. Past the Cenotaph and the guards on horseback at the Household Division at their barracks to a Wetherspoons called the Lord Moon of the Mall where we had a very good curry (and me an apple crumble and custard).

We then spent a couple of hours in the National Portrait Gallary, via Trafalgar Square somewhere we've always wanted to go. Didn't see all of it but we'll have the opportunity to come back and finish the rest of the galleries. Very good it was too.

Finally, a walk along the Strand, past Charing Cross and down Villers Street to the Embankment to pick up the tube to Blackfriars so that we could just pop our heads into the cloistered calm and affluence of the Inns of Court. At Middle Temple a posh event was obviously due to happen in the gardens as waiting staff were being trained to open and pour glasses of what looked like expensive champagne.

Back on the tube to Victoria to catch the train to Bearsted which proved not so crowded as I had though it might be. A grand day out.