One of the last things Marisa and I were able to do, was to visit

Buckingham Palace.  Once the Queen leaves for her summer 

holiday, they open up the State rooms to us commoners.  We also

saw the Mews, where the horses are stabled and the cars and

coaches are kept, and where the Household Calvary lives. 

The Household Calvary has a tradition going back generations.

and many of the employees are following in the footsteps of their

parents, grandparents, great grandparents, etc. The black 

carriage is the one both the Queen and Princess Di rode in to 

their weddings. We also saw the Queen's art collection in the 

Royal Gallery. 

The inside of the palace is amazing, it's hard to believe people 

actually live and work there and attend dinners and functions 

in the elaborately decorated and gold-covered rooms.  One of 

my favorites was the Music Room that had a beautiful view of the 

gardens, where the Queen receives visitors before going to dinner 

in the very formal dining room next door. It is beautifully 

decorated and has a warm and inviting feel to it!  Marisa and I had 

taken a walking tour on a day when the Queen was having one of 

her many summer Garden Parties. (Guess our invitation got lost 

in the mail!)  Our guide told us to be on the look-out for 

"smartly dressed party-goers" as we walked down Constitution 

Hill, and we saw many! Later that evening, as we headed back in 

to town for a play, we saw them all leaving the Palace after the 

party. It was fun to see the Palace Gardens were they had all been.