The Renegade Tourists - Day 2

 This is Day Two for the untethered tourists. As for us, again, we had a leisurely breakfast in the fabulous Savoy Hotel.

Ah, the Savoy. There are simply not enough adjectives to describe the wonders of this hotel. The staff is quietly attentive. The waiters call us by name. Their concern for our comfort is extraordinary. I wish for everyone an opportunity to experience this level of service. At one time I would have thought this level of service came because we were a part of a “Very Important Tour Company.” But now, we are just tour divorcees so it can’t be that. Whatever it is, I’ll take more please.

One of the reasons we stayed was the fact that we had purchased tickets for a tour of Buckingham Palace. The remaining members of the “We Don’t Want You Tour” were going to see the changing of the guard at BP, but we were going to see a lot more.

We had the morning before our BP tour so The Lady Who had spied a nearby Fortnum & Mason could not resist a little retail therapy. I decided to save my energy and sent her on her way. The Lady Who had now turned quite adventurous after the divorce and decided to slip into the National Gallery on her way back to the Savoy. She was interested in seeing the works of the Impressionists in their collection. Having visited the home of Claude Monet back in June, she was delighted to find one of his most iconic paintings.

Inside Fortnum & Mason

The National Gallery

Monet's "Water-Lilly Pond"

Returning to the hotel with her new Fortnum & Mason shopping bag (and an F&M treasure tucked inside it) and visions of Monet in her head, we climbed into a taxi for the short ride to Buckingham Palace. It was a self-guided tour but I would be remiss if I did not praise the newer technology now available in the audio guides. They are really multimedia guides since as the audio plays, there are also photographs to help keep you on track as you make your way through such an expansive and beautiful space.

Unlike some of the older, musty palaces we visited on this trip, BP is fresh and sparkling clean. Always with a nod to the past, the rooms that we walked through look like modern-day people used them. They were exquisitely decorated but because photographs were not allowed, you will have to use your imagination to envision the Grand Entrance, the Ballroom. the Picture Gallery, the Throne Room and Music Room to mention just a few. There were abundant photographs of the new King & Queen, and we were told of the many events that are held bringing the “common folk” to their “house.”  We exited the Palace onto the great lawn where we learned that garden parties involving thousands of British subjects are often held.

We also learned that we had really lucked out. BP is only open for tours for a limited number of days in the late summer and early fall. We were there the last weekend it would be open.Thank you very much.

So, this was officially the last day of the tour that wasn’t. Our former tour mates would have a farewell dinner tonight to which we were obviously not invited. Not a problem. We invited ourselves to an intimate dinner in The River Restaurant by Gordon Ramsay in the hotel. We dressed up in our finest and proceeded to have a wonderful dinner featuring fish pie, a traditional British dish. We discussed all the good and bad of this trip, as well as where we would like to travel next.

Join me for tomorrow’s post in which I will wrap this most interesting trip.