Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Rubbing Elbows and the Palace

On Saturday, we met up and had dinner with our friend Erik and his friends David and Sebastian.  After dinner, we made it to a couple of bars and then decided to go to a private members club called The Groucho Club that Sebastian is a member of.  In London, there are several of these clubs wherein you have to be a member in order to gain access, and The Groucho Club was started for people in the arts and media.  Inside, there were a couple of bars, a restaurant and several bedrooms. It was very interesting and the crowd was very eclectic.  After we were there for a little bit, we all looked up and suddenly Rufus Wainwright walked in.  For those of you who don't know him, he is a singer/songwriter who is probably best known for his song "Complainte De La Butte" on the Moulin Rouge Soundtrack (the french song).  We were all very happy to see him, and even got to meet him as he was leaving...no, we weren't stalking.

Last night, we went to Buckingham Palace and took a tour.  During the summer when the Queen is not in residence, they open the Palace to tourists.  You can either take tours during the day, or you can choose to take a semi private evening tour.  What is great about the evening tours is that it is limited to 30 people you have a guide, and you don't have to wait in the long lines (our guide told us that on average there is about 5000 people per day that visit the Palace).  We were able to see all 19 State Rooms, and also 2 special exhibits....The Royale Faberge Collection and Kate's wedding dress.  The dress was displayed in the Royal Ball Room, and it was great to be able to see it up close...it really is quite beautiful.  At the end of the tour, we were all given a glass of champaigne which we enjoyed on the terrace overlooking the Royal Gardens.  It was a brilliant tour and evening....unfortunately, they didn't allow us to take pictures.  

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