Royal Opening of Parliament

Buckingham Palace

Mac is on business but he sent me an email that said, “I am missing all the fun.”  I scrolled down and read the news, “London will be in gridlock today with many street closings as the Queen makes her way into the city for the official Opening of Parliament.”

Queen reads the speech, "My Government promises..."

This is what I love about England.   The whole city has come to a halt as the Queen conducts one of her many official duties.  All the guardsmen escorted her on horseback, dressed in their traditional black and white uniform, as she followed in the royal carriage to arrive at Westminster Palace.  And they played the most exquisite rendition of God Save the Queen, of course. 

It is a ceremony filled with pomp and circumstance, as are all ceremonies performed by the Royal family.  They are carried out with the uttermost precision, every detail accounted for down to the very minute.  The Queen turned 86 in April, although the Queen’s official birthday is celebrated in June each year with a tea party for eight hundred guests at Buckingham Palace.  The Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip, turns 91 in June.

Diamond Jubilee ~ celebrating 60 years on the throne

The opening of Parliament is a special day here in London, but it pales in comparison to the two major events coming up in the next few months.  In June, the Queen is celebrating her Diamond Jubilee to honor 60 years in power, and then in July London will host the Olympics and Paralympics, for the third time in history, for what promises to be an event that will go down in Olympic history.

100 days and counting until the 2012 Olympics in London
(this site will be magically transformed
for women's beach volleyball)

It’s an exciting time here in London as the city prepares for all the fanfare.  You can feel the excitement mount as the city is transformed.  Last year the world watched Will and Kate tied the knot at the Royal Wedding, and now England is in the limelight again.   If you ask the foreigners, they can’t get enough.  They are thrilled and charmed to be living here in England.  However, the English are not as impressed.  Don’t get me wrong, they love the Queen and are excited to be hosting the Olympics.  However, they don’t need to be in the middle of all the excitement ~ that’s more of an American trait.  They are thrilled to have the extra bank holiday thrown in and many are getting away for the long weekend.  (Traditionally they get Monday off the first weekend in June, but because of the Diamond Jubilee this year they get Tuesday as well, making it especially advantageous for travel).

The count down is on:

*25 more days until the Queen’s Jubilee (although it's a weekend long celebration)

*25 1/2 more days of school (which is what my kids are really counting)

*38 more days until the Caledonian Challenge (Mac will run/hike/walk 54 miles in 24 hours)

*79 more days until the Olympics 

*97 more days until the Cobbs arrive home (Aug. 14 J)

Cheers,

Amy