Buckingham Palace by Day, Paris by Night {No. 20}

Originally we were to leave London bright and early Saturday morning but that all changed when I realized that Buckingham Palace was having opening day for their State Rooms tours that very Saturday.  This is exactly the kind of thing I want to be about on our trip.  Doing things we've always wanted to do but haven't because we've had our kids and knew they would not appreciate.  The Palace only conducts the tours from July-October so of course I thought we should strike while the iron was hot.  Plans changed and we booked a late afternoon train to Paris and ordered State Rooms tour tickets for that morning.  

SUCH a good decision.  One of my favorite things I have ever done in London.  Her Majesty was not in residence this day (obviously did not get the memo that the Dougs were in town) but we loved every minute of it.  Great audio tour and a fabulous special exhibition showcasing a lifetime of the Queen's clothing--from christening gown to wedding gown and every decade in between or since.  FANTASTIC.  Could've walked around it for hours and examined every detail.  

To our pleasant surprise, we walked in with at least a hundred other visitors for our time slot to the tour and bumped right into two families from our school in Knoxville--the Grubbs and Schaads.  Because wouldn't you expect to randomly see Knoxville people on your State Rooms tour??  Haha!  

Of course by the skin of our teeth we made our train and boarded the Eurostar at St Pancras station. In no time at all we were whisked away underneath the English Channel and popped up in Paris.  Wonders!  We checked in our hotel and scooted straight out to dinner.  

So thankful to be in Paris.  A bit surreal because of having been here three years ago for my 40th birthday….  

Surreal but nice.  

Queenie’s Rolls Royce.  1950-something and only 18 were made.  This is the perfect parading car for Queenie because it was built to drive very smoothly at low speeds for long periods of time.  She always sits back right.

Entrance staircase walking up from ground level to the special exhibition and State Rooms.  Photo creds: Lexi Grubbs, my partner in stealth photography.  Technically, no photos allowed buuuut sometimes certain people like Lexi and I just want small visual reminders of moments to carry with us. 

These are not the best quality photos but again, stealth photogs cannot be choosy with their moments.  We have to be ready at a moment’s notice when the monitor lady has her back turned.  It’s very James Bond, you see—not for the faint of heart.  I wish I had a picture of every single dress in this exhibition.  They were not all as fancy as this but if you have ever dreamed of being princess (or Queen) for a day and having a reason to even get this dressed up, gazing on these gorgeous gowns would transport you.  Here they showed a film in the background that had clips of Queenie wearing the dresses that were on display.  The whole thing was wonderful.

Another one of Agent Grubbs’s undercover photos.  Would you get a load of that matching sequined CAPE?!  And of course you can imagine what effect an added crown would give.  I die.

Don’t remember what room this was but really, all the rooms were a dazzling display of gilding, exquisite chandeliers, portraits, and more gilding.  President and Mrs. Obama, if you’re out there, feel free to use these photos as inspiration for any home decor projects that may be brewing back home.  

Just more gold here, gold there, gold sofas, gold sconces, jaw-dropping chandeliers, some orchids—the usual.  

I believe they call this the Throne Room for obvious reasons.  Lots of official photos of the Royal Fam happen here.

And that’s a wrap on the State Rooms!  Of course there were other rooms on the tour but it was determined in the field by Agent Grubbs and myself that stealth photography was not possible.  I mean, we’re good, but it’s imperative that we keep a low profile.  Gorgeous sunny day in London and temps are rising!  Time to hit the gift shop and scoot on to the train station!

Here’s Deano hoofing it to the Eurostar.  Can I get a round of applause for my own personal bellman?!  We knew when we got this far that they wouldn’t leave us, thus the smile of relief.  

We booked Standard Premier class--which is better than standard but not as chic as Business Premier.  We had super comfy chairs and pillows--and your ticket includes a little snack with wine and tea!  Oh la la.

Dinner in Paris at Bistrot Paul Bert for some steak frites, s’il vous plait!  Holy French moly, this was good.  And those frites in that sauce—purrrrr…..

And then for dessert, Dean got the Floating Island and I got le soufflé (obviously).  The Floating Island was amazing—basically a wedge of meringue that sits in some kind of vanilla sauce.  I have no idea but it was so good.  And the Grand Marnier soufflé—perfection.  So so grieved that I wouldn’t even have the first clue about where to source a soufflé of this calibre anywhere near the vicinity of my hood.