Saturday, 16 July 2016

London: The Queen & Trooping The Colour

Trooping the Colour is watched by millions every year.
It marked the official birthday of the British Sovereign and its ceremony is performed by regiments of the British and Commonwealth armies. 

It is difficult to smell the intensity of patriotism without being there in real life.
I was very lucky that my husband took me back to England just in time to experience this event.

This is Buckingham Palace (The Queen's Palace) on the day before the parade.


The Grenadier Guards outside the palace.


Overlooking the busy traffic on The Mall and the majestic Admiralty Arch.


Saturday, 11th June 2016. Trooping the Colour.

Outside Buckingham Palace at about 8am. Another overcast sky with no rain.
The crowd thickened as time went past. By 10am, there was at least several hundred thousands of people gathering around St James Park and along The Mall.


Admiralty Arch at the other end of The Mall.


The Queen's Life Guards marched past.


The Grenadier and Coldstream Guards along The Mall.


Mounted bands of the Household Cavalry and the piebald drum horse at the front.


Sitting in this carriage were Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall (left), Kate, Duchess of Cambridge (right) and Prince Harry (opposite the duchesses). The carriage went by so quickly. I couldn't spot the presence of Prince William, Duke of Cambridge. Not his father, Prince Charles, Duke of Cornwall either.


Here comes the monumental moment!
Her Royal Highness Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip, Duke of Edinburg (waving in our direction). The Queen looked resplendent in her bright green outfit. 

After inspecting her troops, The Queen now made her way back to the Buckingham Palace.


The glimpse of The Queen remains the most unforgettable moment in my life.
The Queen's on her 90th birthday also celebrates her becoming the longest reigning monarch in British history. Duke of Edinburg, 5 years older than The Queen, looked just as fabulous.

After the ceremony, The Queen stopped on the balcony with the rest of her Royal family members.


(Photo: telegraph.co.uk)

On the ground, the King's troop fired 41-gun royal salute in Green Park.
The fearful pigeons stayed away from the air.


Then the flypast event by Royal Air Force followed.

Here came the mighty Red Arrows! 
Whoops! The Red Arrows were too fast for me!


Well, this was how it supposed to look like (Photo: Telegraph.co.uk).


As soon as the event was over, the pouring rain began. It was so weird but we were all so lucky!

That's the end of my memorable event in London, seeing The Queen with my very own eyes and witnessing the majestic march-past and the spectacular flypast.

We then made our way to the Oxford Street and continued our shopping at Liberty (where another exciting highlight took place).

Tuesday, 28 June 2016

走马看花。悉尼

刚从英国回来还没到48小时,就已经跟十多个人叙述我第一次见 HRH Queen Elizabeth II (英国君主。伊丽莎白二世)的经验。6月11日 Trooping The Colour,上百万个人从世界各角落纷纷都聚在 Buckingham Palace 等待 The Queen 的出现。有这么难得的一个 One in a Million 机会见到她本人想必也是小女这辈子最荣幸的经验。

英国的精彩篇,留给下回好了。
先草率分享我在悉尼的一些照片好了。


MT - Mia Themistocleous。


由于在悉尼大部份时间都是在公干着,私人时间十分少,吃饭逛街也是跟着大伙们一同出门,东拍西拍也会觉得比较不好意思。虽然在澳洲念书的时候曾经到过许多个大大小小的地方。可是悉尼唷,在下还是第一次去呐 (糗~)。

去之前,我对悉尼的印象还可以,就花绿绿、凌朗满目、热热闹闹的城市,跟一般的大城市也应该没什么两样。去了之后,我发现自己对悉尼的印象就真的跟我想像的一模一样。人多的地方,自然好热闹,Food & Shopping Varieties 又多,只可惜 Customer Service 及 Hospitality 欠佳了一点。我比较喜欢亚洲城市的服务态度。

不上班的时候,我总是吃得特别多,尤其是甜品。


悉尼工作短旅怎么忙都改抽出时间来观光景点 - Circular Quay。
Sydney Opera House 就在这里附近。
去的时候,刚好遇到 Sydney Vivid Light, Music & Ideas Festivals。晚上的时候,Circular Quay
 附近几乎每一座建筑物(包括 Opera House)都亮起五颜六色,夜景十分漂亮。


Four Seasons 酒店大堂。

在悉尼,真的没工开的时间就是吃,还有吃。


悉尼短旅就这样。

英国的旅游还是比较棒咯,希望短时间内可以再分享下。