October 23rd, 2011 London
I woke about 7 am and finished my journals before going down to breakfast. I took my laptop to breakfast and while we ate; uploaded the photos and then posted my blog. The wifi was working well with my computer this morning.
By 10:30 am Nancy and I were off to the park. Barbara is taking it easy this morning, going to the neighborhood beauty shop to get her hair and nails done while we’re gone. We’re to be back at the hotel about 3 pm. We found later that she’d actually started walking the neighborhood and had walked almost two hours on her own checking out prices on the various hotels in the Paddington area. She was napping by the time we returned.
Nancy and I walked from the hotel to the road that divides Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens. We found a broad path that was on the Kensington side and strolled with the Sunday morning joggers, tourists and strollers through the beautiful and lush grounds. At one point we stopped to visit a training garden designed to teach people how to ecologically grow plants in small places; it was called The Allotment.
Soon we were at the bridge over The Serpentine Lake and crossed the road to the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain. This was my third visit and I still find it an emotional experience because of the story of her life they tell with the various flows of the water: rough, swift, noisy, so still you can hear your own breath and water so still it is hardly moving.
We continued walking through the park to the southern edge for a view of Queen Victoria’s memorial to her husband/consort Prince Albert. It is a glorious tribute with a golden Albert sitting on his throne.
Crossing Kensington we walked to the South Kensington Underground/Tube for a trip to St. James Station arriving at 11:15 am…we almost ran from the station to Westminster Abbey where we wanted to get into the 11:15 Communion Service. One of the ways to get into the Abbey on Sunday is to attend a service! We scooted in behind a group and said yes, we were with that group, when asked by the ushers.
No comments:
Post a Comment