Pax Lodge - day four
We got up and made our packed lunches as normal,then after flag break, we walked down to the station to get the underground. Our first stop was the Tower of London.
We went straight for the Crown Jewels, which was a good choice as later the queue was much longer. The crowns and things are very sparkly. The groups split up then and we could spend as long as we licked in the Tower, then the rest of the day was ours to do as we pleased. I spent another four hours at the Tower doing the wall walks and the White Tower, then I did a Yoeman tour. Our Yeoman was very good and funny.
After that I made my way to the Girlguiding shop near Buckingham Palace to buy some badges I need. Then I walked to Hyde Park Corner to catch a bus to the Albert Hall as my plan was to buy a gallery prom ticket. Luckily, the first queue I saw when I got off the bus was the gallery queue.
It was trying to rain, but after half an hour we were let in. The gallery and arena tickets cannot be booked in advance and they cost £5, cash only. The gallery is right at the top and there are a lot of steps to climb, but it is worth it. Everyone is so relaxed at the top, sitting by the rails until the music starts, then you can wander around if you like, lie on the floor, read a book. I can see why some people prefer it to sitting in a seat. The concert was all English composers and the music was fab.
Just before nine, everyone piled out to get the buses, because there was a tube strike that had started that evening. I waited for the second bus as I knew the first would be crowded. The second was filled to the gunwales too, but I got on. We made our way to Tottenham Court Road, where I changed buses (took me a minute to figure out I needed to go around the corner). I got on the bus to come to Hampstead, and ran right into the Girl Scouts again returning from their evening excursion. We stayed on the bus to the end and then walked up the hill to Pax Lodge.
A long but enjoyable day.
