Rumor has it that you need to get to London’s Buckingham Palace in the wee hours of the morning in order to get a good position for the Changing of the Guard. Still suffering from slight jet lag, I decided that 9:30 was early enough.

The Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace in London typically happens every other day (daily during the warmer months) at 11:30 am…sharp.

When we arrived, a minimum amount of tourists were present. I should have savored that moment.

The early arrival did give me the opportunity to photograph the exquisitely ornate gates and the one guard stationed at his post.

The official British Monarch coat of arms, The Royal Coat of Arms, adorns the front gates to the palace.

I had never seen such spectacular iron and stone work.

This was evident by the dozens of photos that I took just of this. Now, I have a picture guidebook for the iron workers who will reconstruct these gates for my future mansion. I am a dreamer.

By 9:45 we felt comfortable enough to step away from the front of the gates to inspect the impressive Victoria Memorial which stands directly in front of Buckingham Palace.

The structure is made of 2,300 tons of marble. Surely enough to cover the floors of my new mansion?

The massive memorial is seemingly protected by a few surrounding statues; Angel of Truth, Angel of Justice and Charity. We can throw one of those into the yard of my palace. Why not?

There is a similar monument for her husband, Prince Albert, that we saw while strolling through Kensington Gardens. Both are equally as impressive.

By 10:00 we decided to scope out the front of the gates for the perfect viewing location. Though there were a dozen or so folks already there, we still got front row standing.

With an hour an a half until showtime we started to contemplate roaming again. But during the fifteen minutes of contemplation we were sandwich in with no hope for escape.

By 10:30, the front gates were a half dozen people deep and hundreds of people cluttered Queen Victoria.

We were pushed against the iron with barely enough room to turn around. And just as I thought I needed to break away from the confinement, there was indication that something was going to happen.

A beautiful horse and carriage sauntered by. This was all I needed to continue my sardine stance.

The horse and carriage were followed by the marching horses. The folks who crowded the Victoria Monument had the best view of this.

But, I wasn’t jealous because my nose was pressed into the iron gate of Buckingham Palace. And I knew this is where I wanted to be for the main event.

And then the Changing of the Guard began with one guard pacing while the other sternly kept his posture. To be continued…

Have you been to Buckingham Palace? Have you ever seen the Changing of the Guard?