Day 17 of 40 - Queen's Jubilee - 70th Anniversary of the Crowning of Queen Elizabeth

If a parade came by - this is what we would have seen

Trafalgar Square - John Paul Jones column.
National Portrait Gallery with the dome

The Brits get dressed in funny clothes and hats.

Thursday morning we woke up early. By 10 AM - we were in the subway on the way to Trafalgar Square. The trains were not crowded - we were hoping to be able to get parade side spots. When we got out of the Tube Station we were surprised to see people in all directions. worked our way toward the arches between Trafalgar Square and the National Mall. Movement was slow - until about halfway across the square - we were stalled. Everyone seemed to have the same idea. 

The parade was supposed to start at 11 AM - but we stood in the same spot for almost 3 hours. Nothing to eat - nothing to drink - nothing to lean on - and no place to pee. It was a nice day - sunny and 67. TV announcers were saying this is the largest crowd they ever saw for an event - even the VE-Day party was dwarfed. The people seemed really happy and orderly. No one was acting up. We got to talk to many very nice folks. They always seem to love to chat to the Yanks. 

During the 3 hours - one fat-headed redhead guy started to get mouthy over something stupid. He just like hearing himself yap. He was about 20 feet away - he clearly could not get near me. After listening to his baloney for a while - I ruined around to have about 100 Brits focusing on my gray head. I spoke loudly in my best American accent - over in America we would all get our guns out right now and shoot him. There was about 1 second of silence - before the crowd realized what I said. Then everyone roared in laughter. The guy was stunned - and said nothing more. Of course he could have squeezed my head like a pimple - but he didn't. 

We could not see the parade. Little did we know the parade was not coming by us anyway. You had to have special passes to get in St James Park. 

At 1 PM - the flyby went off as planned. Everyone could see the planes. We really did not have to spend 3 hours in that elbow to elbow crowd. The flyby took 7 minutes. I recorded a video and posted it on YouTube. 

We walked the entire way - from Trafalgar Square to Flaxman Terrace. We stopped in the Hilton to pee. then we had lunch at Wagamama. Lulu shopped for a few things. 

When we got home - we watched the TV - and you could see where we were standing - right by the arches at the end of the National Mall. We did not know it - but the parade never left the park - and we could not get in. 

Every year for 70 years - the Brits have a parade to celebrate or worship the queen. The queen has very  few serious things to do - except pose for stamps and money. She has to keep her family members in line - clearly that is not going well. But it is fun to come over here and see how this is so important to the people.