Final Entry……of London Walks

My three favorite walks in no particular order:

Regent’s Park – The parks of London are a wonderful relief to the bustle and excitement of city life. Regent’s Park was especially enjoyable for me because of its more notable expanse of open space. On a beautiful day like the day that we took this walk, so many people were at the park to enjoy the fresh air and be active which made for an atmosphere that appealed to me. Primrose Hill was probably the highlight of the walk as it gave a spectacular view of the park, city, and skyline that I have yet to see matched.

Bankside and Southwark – This walk was one of my favorites for a few reasons. First, many of the major sites along the route held personal significance.

v     The Globe Theater and the Rose Theater = Shakespeare

v     Borough Market = Food and Culture

v     Tower Bridge and Tower of London = Signature London

Second reason: the walk primarily followed the Thames. In many ways, I consider the Thames to be the heartbeat of London. Technically speaking, it is what made possible the functioning of London in ‘them olden days’. However, that is not necessarily the reason why I enjoy the atmosphere of the river so much. The Thames runs through the center of the crowded city but allows one to see so much from its banks – an opportunity I love taking advantage of.

Westminster and St. James – I believe I enjoyed this walk so much because I associate it with the first few days after our arrival in London. As I look back, I am reminded of how exciting that time was. We saw so much that epitomized London within this relatively small area and, in some ways, it was unexpected because the London experience was so new to me. We walked much of the route during our adventures with the Royal Wedding - an event ‘of the century’ that further exemplified the significance of the area.

All of the walks provided opportunities to see aspects of the city that can be experienced no other way. This pattern of walking is a practice I plan to adopt in all of my future travels!

Walking Finale

Disclaimer: This post lost all forms of seriousness the 32^nd second after I started writing it.

1. Bloomsbury

            Walkers: Myself

The morning started with this little jaunt. First, I swung by the British Museum and waved to Rosy Stoney…not for realsies because the Museum was not even open yet. You may ask why I was on a walk at such an early hour. I would be lying if I said fresh air and exercise, although, it was very refreshing. The truth is I had a date with destiny at the Tower of London at 9 am. Next and last highlight was Charles Dickens’s humble abode. Have a looksie.

2. Soho to Trafalgar Square

            Walkers: Hannah D.

We simply dropped by the square to meet and greet: Nelson, the Simbas, and St. Marty’s…the gang’s all here! We didn’t stay long because everybody knew we would be back for our Saturday dessert. Soho Square was the next most interesting stop on the stroll. It consisted of nude statues and clothed statues. That should give you an idea of how interesting the rest of walk was.

3. Westminster and St. Jame’s

            Walkers: Myself/Royal Wedding participants

Fab, fab, fabbidy, fab, fab. This walk was another familiar scene because of two words. Royal Wedding. When you are chums with the royal fam, sites like Big Benny and Westminsty just don’t phase. Totes kidding. My faves included Buckingham, Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, and Horse Guards Parade.

Wow…Third Post

Once again, I have failed miserably to keep an updated blog. One knows, however, that whatever my excuses may be or however dramatic it may seem, there is no escape when it comes to the threat of a bad grade. That being the case, after completing this next blog post, approximately 66% of all my blog posts will be dedicated to class assignments. Moving on…

1. Central Parks

Walkers: Shelisa, Tara

What better way to celebrate a lovely day than with a bike ride through the central parks of London? We picked up our bikes at the Kensington Gardens Barclay’s station and started our ride through good ole’ Hyde Park. 

We took a wrong turn but no time was wasted simply because we saw more of the beautiful park. The Serpentine River was magical as was our crossing through Wellington Arch; it would have only been bettered by one thing – Julie Andrews peeling in on her cycle, singing “Do-Ri-Me”. The walk ended perfectly with a view of the London Eye and Big Ben.

2. Inns of Court

            Walkers: Shelisa, Tara, Hannah

I led this walk.

Two walks in a row…probably not our brightest decision. Nevertheless, the Inns of Court boasted some beautiful architecture. It would have been more exciting had I known more about the ‘Inns’ that we saw. That not being the case, it wasn’t that exciting. One of the few aspects that I recognized was the site of Dicken’s Old Curiosity Shop.

3. Bankside and Southwark

            Walkers: Shelisa, Tara, Hannah

This being the first of the two walks we did in a row, I enjoyed it much more than Inns of Court. I have liked all of the walks along the Thames, mainly because one is able to see so much more of the city. Some of my favorite parts of this walk: the Millennium Bridge which we only passed by – good thing too because I don’t think it was fully repaired since the death-eater fiasco, the Globe Theatre, the Rose Theatre Exhibition, Borough Market – an all food market which is all you need to know, and Tower Bridge.