That's what Royalty is made of!

Words cannot quite describe the events of the royal wedding but I will do my best to describe my experiences in London. Lets start from the beginning. We arrived back in Bangor from Dublin a little after 5 on Thursday afternoon. That gave me just enough time to unpack, repack, take a shower and head out. The train ride was uneventful and all went as planned for the most part. We didn't miss our connecting train which is always good but it was running behind because it got behind a sleeper train, so we didn't end up getting into Euston until after 2AM. The minute we stepped off the train you could just tell there was something in the air in London. There were 2 police officers just outside the train and the people were just humming. I had my tourist map from the first time I went to London and Sheilagh printed off some walking directions. I have a fairly good sense of directions so we were in pretty good shape. As we wandered closer and closer to where the action would be taking place the people just kept getting more and more. They were everywhere and it was 2 in the morning. I couldn't believe the amount of people. As we got closer to Trafalgar Square there were Union Jack flags flying in abundance. The town was decorated to the 9s.

Once we found Trafalgar Square it was smooth sailing. We walked down The Mall which was the main road where the procession would travel from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey and back again. We didn't care all that much where we ended up sitting for the night and as we walked down The Mall the people and tents just kept growing. The people and tents were everywhere lining both sides of the street. We kept making our way towards the palace and eventually came to a section right in front of the left side of the palace. We knew this would be prime real estate when it came time for the kiss from the balcony so we called it good enough. We never dreamed we would find a place that close to the palace that late in the game but we did. I had brought a blanket with so we laid it out and decided to try and catch some shut eye. That was easier said than done. We had been traveling since 10 that morning from Ireland so we should have been tired but the air was just buzzing with excitement from everyone. We sat there and talked for awhile about how surreal it all was and just enjoyed the crowed. Most people were sleeping but there was a constan flow of people into the area. After a quick bathroom break at 4:30 I think we fell asleep for a few minutes.

By 5AM everyone was starting to stir. The sun was just starting to make an appearance as most of the tents and lawn chairs were put away for the day. We slowly but surely inched our way closer and closer to the barricades as people packed their stuff up. We ended up being about 5 people away from the barricades... I never in a million years would have thought we would have ended up that close when there were that many people there before us. That spot ended up being our spot for the next 8 or 9 hours. There were a couple of groups in front of us that hadn't taken down their tents but eventually were asked by the police to pack up their stuff. So we eventually got a little closer. We were all packed in like sardines with no room to move. By about 8 I decided I needed to use the toilets so I, as politely as I could, pushed my way back through the crowed. They were much more willing to let me out than they were letting me come back in. I had to stand in line for 20 minutes just to use a port-o-potty that had no TP... that was fun. I was going to go look for a coffee shop but I decided against it since then I would have to pee again. Instead I pushed my way back through the crowed to Sheilagh who was holding down our blanket. We would take turns sitting down for a few minutes at a time because there was really no room to sit but it was very hard to stand for that long. We mingled with the people standing around us and everyone was really nice for the most part. Then there were some people who just absolutely "knew it all" about the royal family and what was going down that day. They were the ones that got annoying after awhile. The British pride was everywhere to be seen. Most people had flags, some had their faces painted and some were dressed from head to toe in the Union Jack flag. It was a pretty cool site to see.

The Queen

The Bridesmaids

From about 9AM on there was movement around the palace. Guards started doing their thing and royal looking cars were moving around. Nothing really big happened until about 10:40 when the Queen left the palace for Westminster. It was one of the coolest feelings watching the crowed erupt as her car pulled out of the palace. She had on yellow that could be spotted a mile away. Even though we were on the other side of Queen Victoria Memorial we could see her through the car windows quite clearly. Before that we knew Prince William had left for Westminster because of the uproar down the street. He left from a different spot and he was actually the only one that didn't go past us. Along with the Queen we saw Cate's parents in the own car, we saw Prince Charles and Camilla come from the palace. We also so Cate's sister with the miniature bridesmaids and at about 10:52 we even saw Cate pass right in front of us! The people who knew the area that were sitting around us said her hotel was in the area and she would have to pass by to get to Westminster, so we knew she was coming. I dropped the ball when it came to a picture of her. I got the before and after shot but I missed the money shot, but it will forever be ingrained in my memory. Probably the coolest thing that happened the whole day. She was so close I could make out ever facial feature, absolutely amazing!

The newlyweds

Cate's sister and Bridemaids

The service was broadcasted so we heard the vows and eventually everyone made their way back to the palace. Seeing Prince William and the new Princess Cate in the fairytale carriage was also one of the greatest experiences of the journey. They were right there in front of us and they were so happy. It made it feel so much better because you could just feel how happy they were. The smiles on their faces were just priceless. After everyone, and I mean everyone, was back in the palace the crowed was allowed to walk up to the palace. All of the guests where brought back to the palace via buses and cars, it was very cool. The crowed was brought forward from the end of The Mall and they were walked their by a wall of police. This was to keep the crowed from getting too crazy and it was amazing to see. It also kind of sucked that the people who probably gathered in at the last second got to pile into the area closest to the palace while we had to stay further back. We still had a great place and got to see everything so I can't really complain. Like clockwork the newlyweds and the rest of the family came out on the balcony right at 1:25 like scheduled. I think they even managed to steal 3 kisses. The crowed was in an uproar and everyone was so happy. I was so glad I could share this amazing day with the millions of other people in London.

The crowed being ushered in

The happy family

After it was all said and done we slowly made our way away from the palace. There was only one way we were allowed to go and we eventually ended up down by Big Ben, Parliament and Westminster. I can't imagine what it was like down in that area for the wedding because there is nowhere to go. The people where everywhere, we just couldn't escape them. Eventually, once we got past Trafalgar Square we found a cute little pub where we sat and relaxed and enjoyed some food. We got to see the whole event over and over on TV and it was so surreal seeing it happen on TV. They were such a cute couple, perfect for each other. I hope they live long and happy lives together and again I'm so glad I had the opportunity to share this special day with them! We eventually made our way back to Euston station, avoiding the underground at all costs. If it was as crazy in the underground as it was on the streets there was so way we were going anywhere near it, even if it was faster. We tried to get on an earlier train home but because we bought te cheapest tickets ever, we had to stay with the trains we paid for. Our train didn't leave until 11:30 that night with a 4 hour lay over in Woverhampton. I did manage to sleep for a few minutes off and on but I was so paranoid we would miss our stop, I tried to stay awake. Once in Woverhampton I found a spot on the floor of the lounge and made myself as comphy as I could. I used my blanket that had seen better days as a pillow and caught a few shut eyes. Again i was paranoid that we would miss our 5:48 departure for Bangor so I still didn't get much sleep. Once on our last train home I was able to sleep a little bit better. After Sheilagh and I arrived back in Bangor we talked about how surreal the whole experience was. We were actually in London for the biggest wedding of our life time. So hard to believe, we were so lucky! This was by far the best experience, as exhausting as it was, of my study abroad experience so far! I'm so lucky!

Until next time...

~Amy