In 1215, King John granted a charter allowing the City's people to choose their own Lord Mayor. The Lord Mayor, accompanied by supporters, had to journey to the Palace of Westminster to be presented to the Sovereign for approval and to swear an oath of allegiance to the Crown. At one point in history,this showing of the Mayor to the people took place on the River Thames, coining the term "floats".
The Lord Mayor still takes an oath, only now it is held at the Royal Courts of Justice. We bundled the boys up and braved the quintessential London weather to see the parade, or the "showing" of the Lord Mayor to the people.
The new Lord Mayor in his gilded carriage:
Following the parade, we went St Paul's Cathedral. Truly a magnificent building with beautiful architectural details
Upon walking around the cathedral, we discovered a carnival, much to the delight of the little ones, which is where we spent the rest of our evening.
This photo makes me laugh, a deluge of modern sights and sounds in the shadows of such an historically significant cathedral! 
Our night concluded with spectacular fireworks over the River Thames. 
1 comment:
These pictures, especially the one of Beck and Sloan looking at each other are the reasons I'm going to hot-foot it over to London in January. More to follow in an email, to you C. Remind those kids that they can also wave a Texas flag now and then! I'll bring one to them.
Love, MiMi
Post a Comment