Westminster Walk

I completed this walk this morning with Sarah. A few of the roads on the walk were closed because of Trooping of the Color, the Queen's birthday celebration. I think all police and guards in the area were on duty for the parade. I've never seen more rounded hats, red and fur in my life. Those attending were dressed in tops hats and vests, skirts, dressed and beautiful hats. I love the hats worn on special occasions in the UK. It's a fun tradition! Along the walk we saw Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben and Parliament. It was a great time to see the excitement and preparation for Trooping of the Color without such large crowds.

Coming Soon...

Westminster Walk. Sarah and I were at Buckingham Palace to finish it yesterday and were caught in a torrential down pour so we went left sopping wet. We're doing it tomorrow morning at 7:45 and I will write about it as soon as I get home.

Final

I can't say I ever approached the walks with too much excitement. I enjoyed getting out and seeing new areas, but sometimes felt a little pressure to spend my time in other activities with just six weeks in London. I do see the benefit in the walks, especially looking back now. The underground is out primary mode of travel and, naturally, offers very little in terms of view. Walking brought not only the benefit of exercise (which provided a source of justification for stopping at Ben's cookies), but helped me to orient myself. The walks allowed us to see more than the stretch from the tube to the next attraction. I saw the diversity between each area in the city. The three walks I enjoyed most are Lambeth and Southwark, Bankside to Southward and the City.
We had quite a few people in our group for Lambeth and Southwark. It was just enough people to have a good time, but not too many to get around with. Part of the walk went through a park. We stopped to play in the park. It was a nice break from simply walking. We climbed, hung, used the swings and slides; it was great! After a little while, a truck came around with a whistle. We assumed that meant we were too old to be in the park so we left. Still, it was a nice detour. The rest of the walk took us along the Thames. We could see Parliament and Big Ben against the sunset. It was so beautiful. It was one of the moments where you realize again you are in London, England. Parliament and Big Ben are such iconic images that it was exciting to be around them. It was similar to seeing the Eiffel Tower in France.
Another of my favorite walks was Bankside to Southwark. I enjoyed this for similar reasons to Lambeth and Southwark. We walked across another London icon, the Tower Bridge. We walked at night so we were able to see the bridge lit. The Thames River below reflected the lights on the bridge. I am glad I took a chance to walk across the bridge. I had only seen it from a distance before hand and since. There was a lot more detail on the bridge that I had realized. It seems like that is the general rule in England. Everything has an elaborate royal crest somewhere. Walking up to and across the bridge was, again, one of those moments you realize you are in England.
The third walk I liked the most was The City. We went on this walk on a Saturday evening. Because the City has a lot of business and government buildings everyone was home for the weekend. The streets seemed deserted. The emptiness combined with towering buildings made us feel quite isolated. This was a stark difference to most London streets. The norm is to be dodging people, smoke and vehicles. I enjoyed wandering the city in a moment of peace. The busyness is my only complaint in London. The crowds and smoke can be overwhelming so it was nice to experience the city without that.

Bloomsbury Walk

I completed the Bloomsbury walk with Sarah today in between English and Art. We got off at Tottenham Court Metro Station and walked through some residential areas. One area had the home of the found of the Lancet Series. We passes the homes of several authors, poets, actors, etc. Among these was the home of Charles Dickens. It was exciting to see where he had lived. We ate lunch along the way at a cafe on the street where Charles Lamb lived. The area seemed to be a popular location for major figures in the arts. Near the end of the walk we passed the British Museum. I am looking forward to going there later this week. Despite a few rain drops, it was a very nice walk!

The City

I completed this walk with Sarah and Emily K. We went on a Saturday night so the streets were virtually empty. Every direction we looked the streets were quiet. It was somewhat eerie, but nice not to run into people or be surrounded by smoke. Along the walk we saw many business buildings. This included the Royal Exchange, the Stock Exchange, the Bank of England and several others. We also saw some market areas. Our only interaction with a large group was walking through a court yard outside of what we overheard the tour guide saw was where Lady Jane Grey had stayed. We were excited about this after having read Nine Days a Queen.

Central Parks

I completed the Central Parks walk with Emily Lowe and Sarah. We rented bikes and biked the path. It was fun to mix it up a little. The weather was perfect to be out as well. Along the trail we saw Kensington Palace. We also rode along the Serpentine and through Hyde Park. There were many people out in the park. It’s interesting to me that so many people use the public parks. I think this is something we see less of in the states and it would be good to encourage activities that get people out in parks.

Inns of Court

I completed Inns of Court with Sarah and Emily. The two sites that were most interesting to me on the walk were Dicken’s Old Curiosity Shop and John Soane’s home. The Old Curiostity Shop was kept in accordance with architecture of the time it is most known for. Unfortunately it was closed so we could not go in. We did, however, tour the Soane home. John Soane collected art, architecture and artifacts and displayed them in his home. He directed his home to be kept as a public museum. Every corner holds something interesting. I enjoyed seeing his collection and exploring the home.

Lambeth and Southbank

I completed the Lambeth and Southbank walk with Macey, Emily L., Hannah, Miles, Sarah, Emily K., Laura, Amy and Sidney. The highlight of the walk was a community playground. We spent a good 20 minutes swinging, sliding and climbing. We went at sunset so the view of the house of Parliament, Big Ben and the London Eye Were beautiful. There seemed to be a lot going on along Southbank. A family fair was set up through the week and several street performers were out. We also found a large skate park near the Londond Eye. Southbank holds a lot of evening activities for all ages.