UK National Day

(11/2/22)
Blipping this a day late as the day was so full. Starting from 10 AM to 11:PM, we were at EXPO 2020 again. Two of the main aims of EXPO is to promote cultural awareness and business opportunities. To this end, a country is celebrated every day by being designated a "National Day". Today was the UK's turn. High-level officials/dignitaries/celebrities visit EXPO on the day, and there is a parade and fanfare. Prince William flew in for the day, and a lot of the entertainment on the main stage showcased British bands/culture. It ended with a concert by the 78 piece Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra on the Jubilee Stage (see my extra).

Sadly, we missed the marching Band of the Coldstream Guards and just about caught a glimpse of the Queen's Baton for the Commonwealth Games carried to all the pavilions of Commonwealth countries onsite. We just happened to be enjoying a cool drink at the terrace of the Singapore pavilion when we saw the runner coming out of New Zealand. Just before the sun went down, we arrived at the UK pavilion. I hadn't paid enough attention to when Prince William would arrive but G had an inkling. We waited an hour as the crowd built up. I kept testing settings on the cameras to make sure we'd get a shot of him. As it happens, the batteries of both cameras went red, so it was a case of preserving what was left to get a shot. The best one I managed is my main picture. It is definitely not the best shot I took today, but a historic one for us! Judging by all the different nationalities who had gathered, Prince William is hugely popular.

In between arriving and queuing for an hour, we visited Holland, Singapore, Israel, India, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Cameroon, Nicaragua, Latvia, Uganda, Afghanistan, Malta, Myanmar and South Sudan. We both loved the light and airiness of the South Sudan pavilion. They still reckon they are the youngest country in the world!

We started to walk back to the car at 7:30 but somehow ended up at Jubilee Park, where there were loads of free beanbags, so we stayed to watch the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra. They played the best of British pop/rock music, dedicating the entire second half to the music of Queen.

I must record walking back to the car - the staff lined up and clapped visitors as they left the premises! Such an unusual thing to do!
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And over on the other side of the world, my younger sister's elder son celebrated turning 25! I still remember how thrilled I was that he had finally arrived!