London - Days 16-17
2010-10-08
Travel day. Nothing interesting to report and no pictures.
2010-10-09
As is our custom, the first day in London is always devoted to Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens, so after breakfast, we headed straight there. We saw the many joggers, bicycle riders, tourists, and dog walkers taking advantage of a cool, overcast morning in one of the greatest park complexes in the world.
We walked over to the Peter Pan statue, our 1st mandatory stop. This is one of the nicest statues in London, celebrating one of the best-loved stories ever.
Then we walked past the training area for the Horse Guard, but we were too late in the day to see any military riders training. Instead, we saw some children being instructed by a military man, so they must have been dependants.
Our 3rd stop is usually Kensington Palace, and right now a whole lot of work is being undertaken to improve accessibility and to add a sculptured garden, so the regular tour has been suspended. Instead, they transformed the place into The Enchanted Palace, with the rooms filled with art installations and whimsical themes. The visitor's goal is to find the names of seven enchanted princesses which are hidden among the displays. There were amusing performance artists in our midst, and each room had a person who was very knowledgeable about the history of the palace, and they were eager to share what they knew. Great fun.
After stopping for lunch at the Lido Café on the Serpentine, we walked home through the neighborhood. it's been less than two years since we were here last, but in fact, there has been a lot of change. It's kind of hard to characterize it as due to bad economic times or good. Yes, some of our favorite haunts are gone, but they have, for the most part, been replaced by new. In general, the slide has been upscale.
Naturally, on the way, we had to stop and visit the Albert Memorial and Albert Hall - the first being so over the top that it's interesting, and the second being perfectly suited to its function.
Noticed: Many European hotels have adopted toilets that have a choice of a big and a small flush. You can figure out the reason for yourselves. When you do, you'll see that this is a good idea.
Also noticed: Even the poshest hotels seem to put exactly the number of electrical outlets in each room as is needed for the electrical appliances installed therein. The only exception being one free outlet at the bathroom sink. Other than that, if you power a laptop and a battery charger for your camera, you must do so sitting in the dark, with the TV off.
Until Next Time
