London Daze, Part 1: Royal Beginnings

Following up our “Queen” tour, after visiting Garden Lodge, we visited Freddie Mercury’s friends’ house (just at the side of his main house) and his old flat where he lived in the 70’s.

Next we took the tube and went to the “Playhouse Theatre” where the “A Kind Of Magic” music video was filmed. (you can see the outside of the theater at the beginning and ending of the video). Such an historic place!  I loved it!.

Later, we took the tube again and went to the Imperial College (where Brian May and Roger Taylor met for the first time), and the amazing Royal Albert Hall, where Brian May performed several times in solo concerts and with the singer Kerry Ellis.

Later, we took the tube again, heading to the world famous Buckingham Palace. This place isn’t really “Queen”- related, but it is related to the other “Queen”
and is actually something almost mandatory to see if you are visiting London as a tourist.

Guards close up

My friends wanted to see the Changing of the Guard that happens every morning at 11:30. The place is huge and was packed with tourists, but we still made it just in time and could take a place near the fence to see it.  I can say it was more impressive on TV than seeing it live. The guards form in military positions and there’s a military band playing marches and arrangements of pop songs, like “Thriller” and tunes from “Grease.” It’s very evident that it’s made to appeal to tourists. And I figured out that the military in Chile imitates the same style of guard change, including the marching band playing pop songs. All for the tourists and curious locals and to be “closer” to “regular people”. We all know that it will never be true, but it’s fun to see how at least they try!

Changing of the Guard

Another place worth seeing is Westminster Abbey, which is mainly a big Gothic church where all the “royal events” happen, like weddings, funerals, and burials. And it’s also a place where the
most important British characters are buried, including ancient kings, queens, writers, poets and musicians. It’s a very important historic landmark in the UK and it serves as a museum when no “royal” activities are taking place there (The last Royal Wedding there was the Prince William and Catherine Middleton one in 2011).

I found it to be very beautiful, very solid construction considering how old it is (construction of the church began in the year 1245). You can only try to imagine how many things happened inside there, and you can breath peace and respect for the dead while you are inside.

Follow up to the last part of my “London Queen Tour” coming on the next post!.