Buckingham Palace, St. James's Park, First London Meal

Buckingham Palace is one of the homes of the royal family. You know when you see them on the balcony waving? Yeah, that's Buckingham Palace:

It's naturally a hot tourist spot, so there's always people swarming around it. 

Queen Victoria was the first to rule from Buckingham Palace. I don't think she cared for it much. She had a bunch of renovations done to it. 

We appreciated all the flowers on the grounds. 

The gates around the palace are also lovely. I said I'd like to have gates like this around our yard but the HOA would probably bitch about them:

If you come at the right time, you can witness the changing of the guard, but we didn't see it. If you're curious, there are videos on YouTube. 

This is the Queen Victoria memorial. It was unveiled in 1911 and it's right across from Buckingham Palace:

Even with all the people gathered, Buckingham Palace is still neat to look at. You can even book tours inside until September. 

When you grow tired of all the people, walk around the corner to St. James's Park. It's peaceful with not as many humans around. Plus there's ice cream stands.

Then we got on a bus to a spot to have our dinner. We were given steak pot pie, chips (fries), and peas. I notice a lot of British meals randomly have peas tossed on the plate. Like, here's a burger, (and some peas.) Here's a slab of meat (and some peas.) They don't always look like this, sometimes it's mushy peas. 

The food was good, but lacking in seasoning. We added much salt to this. But I'm always happy with a meal I don't have to cook, so it was fine. 

Our first full day in London consisted of The National Gallery, The National Portrait Gallery, Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square, St. James's Park, and dinner. There might have been more, but I was still jet lagged and out of it because we literally came from the airport and was let out in front of the National Portrait Gallery. I think I fell asleep twice near the Queen Victoria memorial and was jolted awake by tourists shouting. I always got excited because I would think, "Is the ghost of Princess Diana here?" If I had been woken up and it had just been Prince Charles--excuse me, KING--I'd have probably gone right back to sleep.

So have you ever been to Buckingham Palace? 

Hey, It's Okay

I got this idea from Glamour magazine. You can link up any day of the week. All you have to do is make a list of what you're okay about. Simple! Please do not link up a post that has nothing to do with Hey, It's Okay. It's rude and I'll delete the link.

HEY, IT'S OKAY....

.......to be taking Tommy out on a mom/son lunch date since Natalie is hanging out with friends. His fave thing to do is eat, so that's what we normally do. 

......to be enjoying House Of The Dragon even though I know many of my fave characters will die.  

......to be glad that Biden stepped down. I liked him, but he was getting to the point where his age was really starting to show. I do have high hopes for Kamala. 

......to currently be reading The Inmate by Freida McFadden. It's about Brooke, who put her high school sweetheart in prison for nearly killing her. Then she decides to work as a nurse at that same prison years later. He insists he didn't try to kill her. Should she believe him? I am nearly done and I still don't know. I've always enjoyed the author's books. 

......to have loved exploring St. James's Park in London. It's located near Buckingham Palace and it was gorgeous. Flowers everywhere, ducks waddling around, perfect weather...

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Trying The Pickle Corn Dog At Downtown Disney

Pickle Corn Dog.

I mean, it sounds...honestly, a little weird. Some might even say gross.

But here's the thing:

• I like pickles.
• I like corn dogs. 

So I thought, you know, I'd probably like the combo. 

At Downtown Disney, there's a small stand called Blue Ribbon Corn Dogs. It's popular because many people want to try the Pickle Corn Dog. And their regular ones, of course. But it seemed the majority of the people were ordering the Pickle Corn Dog. 

They are $15.50, so the price didn't please me, but fine. 

And it came with peanut butter.  ???

To me, it was like someone who was drunk came up with the whole concept. I picture them in a bar, surrounded by empty shot glasses and saying something like, "You know...you know what a great idea would be? A corn dog but with a PICKLE." They write down the idea on the bar napkin. Their drunken friends adds, "With..with..PEANUT BUTTER." Of course the first friend thinks that's just GENIUS and adds "PB," to the napkin. Then they drink 3 more shots and pass out.

Many people like the idea, because there's usually a wait to get one after your order since they are so popular. I think we waited about 10 minutes, which was fine, because a fresh Pickle Corn Dog sounded better than an old Pickle Corn Dog. 

(They also have a giant mozzarella stick that's pretty popular!)

When I was handed the Pickle Corn Dog, it smelled delish. It was covered in panko bread crumbs, which I was pleased with. I took a bite and proceeded to burn my mouth, but I needed to try it before my kids did. We were all sharing one thanks to the price, and sometimes they turn into frightening animal-like creatures which means not much is left for me, because they frighten me when they eat and I'm not about to get in their way. 

As you see, the hot dog is IN the pickle. 

The flavor?

Intriguing.

Not bad, actually. 

I tried it with the peanut butter and that was fine as well, but I could do without. 

I brought it over to the kids:

Natalie liked it. 

Then Tommy had a bite:

He's laughing because it kept falling apart. The Pickle Corn Dog is not a neat meal. The pickle juice will squirt at you. We were like, "sir, at least let us buy you dinner first." 

But he liked it as well.

Would we get it again? Yes. If you like that savory pickly combo, this is for you. If pickles and hot dogs gross you out, maybe try their regular corn dog. Or their giant mozzarella stick. 

And great news! Blue Ribbon Corn Dogs will eventually open at Walt Disney World in the Boardwalk area, so if you only frequent the East Coast, you will soon be able to try a Pickle Corn Dog. 

So would this be a hard pass or a try for you?