Tea with the Queen

Mambo (or hello, as my friends from Tanzania say).

I woke up yesterday at 5:30am to get in my "smart" dress and head out to the bus stop to load the bishops on the buses to head to Lambeth Palace. Surprisingly, loading 660 bishops and their spouses onto the buses was quite easy. I think all of us were pretty excited about the day in London. Many of us were feeling the pressure to get away for a short period of time and away from the set routine of morning Eucharist-Bible Study-Indaba Groups-Self Select Sessions- Plenary Session.

When we arrived in a London (about a 1.5 hour car drive away from Canterbury), we all gathered at Whitehall Place in central London until the "Walk of Witness for Millennium Development Goals" started. When the walk started, we marched south down Parliament St and Abingdon St and ended up at the Lambeth Palace, where we were quickly let in with our green invitations. It was a good march, though there didn't seem to be too much press...or many people watching (I'm not sure how many people knew about it).

The time at Lambeth Palace was quite elegant. It started with an address made by the ABC and then by Prime Minister Gordon Brown who talked specifically about the immediate need to end poverty in the world. After the addresses, there was a drinks reception and a luncheon in the gardens. Entering a large white tent situated in the gardens of the Lambeth Palace, we gathered around tables to be service a beautiful lunch consisting of a lemon-glazed chicken, tomatoes stuffed with mozzarella cheese, a bean salad finished off with a chocolate torte with raspberry ice-cream. It was quite chic. We spent about a couple of hours there until we loaded on the buses once again to head to Buckingham Palace for tea with the queen.

I think this part was the most exciting for me. I've been to the Buckingham Palace in London on numerous occasions, but I was always the tourist, often glaring bright-eye behind the fence to watch the changing of the guards. This time in London, when I stepped off the bus, we happily were greeted. Rather than standing at the gates, this time I entered the front door of the Buckingham Palace to be led to the garden party on the opposite side. After being greeting by Jane Williams and the ABC, I stepped into a large field that was surrounded by long narrow tents that housed the various beverages, sweet treats and sandwiches, as well as white lounge chairs and tables covering the field outside the tent. The tea was some of the best I had ever tasted (I've tasted a lot of tea!) and a steward told me that it was only served at the Buckingham Palace. There was also an iced coffee to die for...as well as the strawberry shortcake pastries, the dark chocolate cakes, the cucumber sandwiches and the raspberry torte...oh my!

About 10 minutes before 4 pm, we started to line up for the queen's arrival. As we lined up, the Beefeaters (or more formally known as the Yeoman Warders....or as a gin) helped us line up as the Men in Waiting (tall older men wearing fancy suits with tails and top hats) came through the line, chose various people and brought them forward to be introduced to the queen. At 4pm exactly, the queen arrived from a door on the west side of the palace, was welcomed by one of the two bands underneath one of the tents and walked very elegantly towards the crowd awaiting her.

I was in the front of the line so I could see her pretty clearly and it was interesting to see her very up close, though I was not introduced to her (though she looked at me twice!!). She wore a long-sleeved dress decorated with butterflies and a tasteful hat also decorated with butterflies. When I saw her, an overwhelming sense of respect and awe came over me...whether it was because I already knew a little about her already (hey, she IS the queen of England) or whether she gave off an impression that demanded respect and acknowledgment.

She talked for a while Prince Phillip followed closely behind greeting other people. She then moved to a private party where the primates were the only guests invited. She was with them for about 30 minutes until we lined up again with the Beefeaters and she walked back to the palace with as much elegance as she came in.

Before leaving, we had about one hour to look around the gardens (since it was filled with plants from all over the world, dating back centuries). I was pretty surprised how large the garden was...especially in the heart of London.

We then loaded the buses and headed back to Canterbury.

For more info about the march please see http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7523539.stm (I think I see Bishop Carranza in the very beginning). I'll try to upload more pictures soon. Good night from Lambeth!