A day of two halves

Today saw our final day on our London Pass so we had to fit a couple of visits in to make sure we got good value for money. The day got off to a worrying start when Cheryl discovered we had been given an empty box while shopping so the first job of the day was to trek back to Oxford St and sort it. Thankfully it proved to be very simple as the box had a white dot on it indicating empty box. At this point we thought the bad day was over and all would be good so we headed to the changing of the guard at the Horse Guards parade only for Maree to discover her Swarovski crystal earring had fallen out - good thing she only ever wears one at a time - this was not a high point! The Guard change was good but there was a very dull patch in the middle where nothing happened. The Household Cavalry Museum was next and this proved to be a little gem, we saw some of the horses post the change getting their tack removed and we could try on the helmets worn by the Guards - we now have a whole new respect for them cos it was uncomfortable. It was then over the road to Banqueting House where there is an impressive ceiling painting by Ruben, but the highlight was the lowering of one of the chandeliers so its bulbs could be changed. Westminster Abbey was next and boy is this an impressive building. We got the audio guide which was brilliant - Jeremy Iron's voices it and the layout was much easier to follow than St Paul's. we then had to make a hurried trip across town to get to The Globe Theatre tour which we made with 10 mins to spare. This was good as our guide was brilliant and the one following was not as good. Was a tad chilly sitting on the upstairs levels. After a quick trip home we headed again to the Tate where we checked out the rest of the collection before once again heading to the Pre Raphaelites as Friday is late night. This was a great decision as by 9 there were very few people around and we could enjoy our favourites just about alone. Only one full day left.