London - Day 4

Day Four was full of walking - 34,000 steps and 14+ miles. The boys were troopers!  After grabbing coffee, hot chocolate, and a small breakfast for the boys, we started walking towards Buckingham Palace.  We walked around Big Ben, Parliament, and Westminster in the way.  We got into position around 10am for the 11am Changing the Guard.  We couldn’t see much through the castle gates but did get to see the guards, bagpipe players, and the band quite well.  I will probably do another post of just Changing the Guard when we get home and I can add in videos.  After the ceremony, we walked through Hyde Park (stopping for a snack along the Serpentine pond) and continued on to Portobello Road Market.  We did some shopping and also had lunch.  The boys and I picked up a few souvenirs.  On the walk back to the hotel, we walked through Kensington Garden (with a lot of consulates), saw Kensington Palace, walked back through Hyde Park, and went through Trafalgar Square.  For dinner, we went to Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese which was rebuilt in 1667 after a fire.  It was a really neat old building with lots of nooks and crannies with tables across multiple levels.  The BBC called it one of the best pubs in London.