Changing of the Guard, Green Park, St. James' Park, Royal Mews, & Phantom of the Opera in the West End | London, England

On day 9 we watched the changing of the guard, visited Green Park, St. James' Park, the Royal Mews, explored the shops in the West End, and watched Phantom of the Opera.

Day 9 was a day of royal activities that began with the changing of the guard. Unless you want to stand outside of the palace at least an hour before the changing of the guard begins, you will not get a good viewing spot. You just won't. It was so crowded!!! It was like rivalry college football game crowded. 

Honestly, I was a little disappointed by the changing of the guard. There are several bands and lots of music so it's more like a mini military concert that you can't see. Perhaps if we had a better view of what was going on I would have a more favorable opinion.

Nevertheless, if there are a lot of sites you want to see in London, you are not a British military enthusiast, and you need to cut something from you list I would recommend considering the changing of the guard. It's ridiculously crowded, you need to keep at least one hand on your belongings at all times because who knows who you are pressed up against, the ceremony is longish, and you probably will not get a fantastic view point. However, watching the changing of the guard may be a London right of passage....

Afterwards, we went to St. James' Park and found a spot for our picnic lunch (we purchased sandwiches at a Pret a Manger on our way to the changing of the guard). Then we walked through Green Park, took in the sights, had ice cream. 

Perfect picnic spot in St. James' Park

Tasty picnic lunch

Ice cream cone with a flake from a vendor in Green Park

Next we went to the Royal Mews and took a guided tour. It was so cool!!! I would pick the Mews over the changing of the guard any day. The Mews is where they store and maintain the royal carriages, cars, horses, etc. Our tour guide was super nice, knowledgeable, and shared a lot of fun and historical facts. 

The Royal Mews is a working mews so we got to see a carriage being loaded.

We learned that only the Queen's coach can be pulled by the Windsor Grey horses. It was a huge honor that she allowed William and Kate's carriage to be pulled by Windsor Grey horses for their wedding coach.

Windsor Grey named Storm

We saw the carriage that Queen Victoria preferred (apparently she hated cars), the carriage typically used for weddings, the Queen's Jubilee carriage (newest and most modern with heating, air conditioning, and a radio), and the Coronation Carriage. The Coronation Carriage was built in the 1700s and is covered in gold and oil paintings. It weighs four tons, needs twelve horses to pull it, and is apparently very uncomfortable to ride in. 

Irish State Coach (Queen Victoria's favorite coach)

Queen's Jubilee Carriage

Coronation Coach

Our lovely tour guide :)

After the mews, we window shopped the cool shops near St. James' Park and then we went back to our room to get ready for our night at the theatre. 

All of the shaving supplies you could ever want

So many fun window displays!!

We decided the previous evening that before we started our royal activities for the day began, we needed to get our tickets to the Phantom of the Opera. We found the TKTS booth in Leicester Square but they didn't have any Phantom tickets available :( . However, they did have free maps of the theatre district so we went in search of Her Majesty's Theater (where Phantom was playing). 

In New York City the theatre district is pretty much all in one area. In London the theatres are spread out and they do not have huge flashing signs with their names...so the theatre was a little tricky to find. 

Once we found the theatre we discovered they only had a few tickets for that nights performance available (hence why there were no tickets available at the TKTS booth). We had the option of getting tickets in the nose bleed section or on the floor in row M. I may never have another chance to see Phantom on the original stage it was designed for and I wanted to be as close as possible. So I convinced my friend to splurge and we got the floor seats!!!

I am so glad we splurged on our tickets because our seats were amazing!! It was a totally different experience than sitting in the nose bleed section where the performers look like tiny blurs. You could actually see the actors expressions and I am forever ruined for the cheap seats lol. 

The theatre was smaller that I imagined (comparing it to Broadway theatres in NYC) and you had to purchase a program, but otherwise it was amazing, magical, and I would highly recommend it :) .