Top 3 London Walks

I enjoyed all of the London walks. I loved most of them. But I was completely in love with the following three walks because they were exciting, beautiful, charming, memorable, and unique.

The Westbourne Park and Notting Hill walk was easily my favorite, because it was our neighborhood. I loved discovering Portobello Market. We may have gotten entirely lost when we got out of the station, but we almost always get lost so it's fine! I loved the Portobello Market, my cheap "British Flag" sunglasses I bought there, and cannot wait to go back and buy a cheap painting of London when my parents come to London. The market environment was so fun, and we had a blast. But beyond the market, it was fun to walk around our neighborhood. I never would have known that just beyond the horizon, the neighborhoods started going down hills. I also discovered an uphill stretch of neighborhoods on this walk that looked perfect for running, which I never would have discovered on my own. And the cute little gated community parks in all of the neighborhoods were so charming.

I really loved the Lambeth and South Bank walk, probably because the weather was stunning that day. It was sunny! We got our very first glimpse of blossoms starting to peak through their little green cacoons. But the best part was being warm enough that we were able to take our jackets off and walk along the river in the raw sunlight. My now-ghostly skin gulped in those rays. But parliament was shining all glittery in the sunlight as well. And to be honest, it was also great because Kaylee was leading it, so we didn't get lost and we were able to get through it quickly, so it didn't feel long.

I loved the Westminster & St. James walk, as well. This walk stands out to me, because we walked it at night, when it was dark outside. We had the streets all to ourselves, without having to dodge around the throngs of people on the sidewalks. And the streets were all lit up, giving the city a magical touch. The best part, though, was the memorable way the lights lit up some of my favorite buildings. The carvings on Westminster Abbey absolutely popped. I swear I could make out the carvings ten times better that night than when I had visited before in the daytime. And visiting Buckingham Palace, when it was all lit up and completely deserted was amazing; we had the place all to ourselves.

Bankside and Southwark

This walk made me feel like I was in more of the historic London. It was a really smoggy day, and we walked by lots of buildings that were covered in dirt and grime built up from over the years. The oldest pub in London, The Anchor, was by this dark alley under a bridge that was ultra gloomy, and it led straight into the crowds, interesting smells, and arrays of unusual food of borough Market. We tried the grilled cheese sandwich that everyone's been talking about and it was quite good. I saw a damascan falafel place; is that damascan like Damascus? But it was funny seeing the Globe Theatre and the huge banner of Shakespeare's face when we were at his old house just yesterday. I loved walking over the tower bridge. It was my first time to cross it. This was fun walk.

Fleet Street and St. Paul's (The City West)

This was a terrific walk, and one that I really enjoyed. For some reason, it had a different feel than some of the other walks, probably because we had more variety in the types of buildings we were walking past. It was fun seeing so many working men in the area, all wearing their black suits; it felt so official and realistic. We may have gotten terribly lost at the beginning, but it helped us be extremely specific in following directions the rest of the time. Personal favorites from this walk were St. Paul's Cathedral, obviously, as well as the small statue of the cat, the Bridewell House of Correction (because of it's massive gates still in tact,) the Black Friar pub and its mosaic exterior, and just the knowledge that I was walking past an apartment that Shakespeare had personally been inside. I'm not much of a cat-lover, but I thought the statue was hilarious. St. Paul's Cathedral and the other Wren churches were beautiful. It was interesting to notice that some of the random churches we walked past had clear glass instead of stained glass, and I would like to find out why some day. This was a nice walk, and an enjoyable one.

Bloomsbury

This was such a neat walk! Liz and I went, just the two of us. When we got off at Tottenham Court Road Station, I thought it was going to be a walk in a downtown business area, not a fun residential/small-office building area. It was fun, because we would walk around and look for plaques on the walls, and when we found them, then we would find their names in the book. We found lots of plaques that aren't in the book, which sparked an interest! We saw some of the cutest shops on this walk, specializing in hand-sewn purses and antique furniture--my parents would have loved it! I thought it was neat that Thomas Coram cared so much about the children, and that later on the walk we walked by the children hospitals. We passed a Children's Leukemia office, which touched my heart since my little niece used to live in London and now has Leukemia. And it was fun to walk by a square built for chimney sweeps; it reminded me of Mary Poppins! The graveyard was really neat, and I wonder if that's where we will have class for the graveyard class. My two favorite parts were walking by Dickens' house, since I have been in Christmas Carol multiple times. My other favorite part was getting lost on our way back to the tube from the end of the route. We got lost in the streets, and got to enjoy the streets and environment! Plus, we found "Fancy That of London" where we bought 20 postcards for 2 pounds! Victory.

Regent's Park

The panoramic view from the top of Primrose Hill was absolutely perfect this morning. It was warm, clear, sunny, and there was a sense of spring in the air. I bet the view of the city would be stunning from this hill at night, and hope I get a chance to take my parents there when they arrive. I was shocked to see a public drinking fountain, because they seem quite rare in London; needless to say, I was not surprised when it wasn't working. It was a cool drinking fountain, though, and the second drinking fountain we found later on that walk was the craziest design I have ever seen! I am really glad that they didn't build the remaining 48 villas and opened this park to the public, because it's gorgeous! The little stream with the peaceful waterfall was so pretty, especially with the ducks and swans hanging around. The ducks had a cool red and green feather pattern on their back, which is entirely different than the ducks at my house at home. It was fun seeing the football (soccer) and the rugby fields. I love the idea of public boating ponds, and was sad when there weren't any children boating in the one for kids. It was interesting to see Charles Cockerell's house and know that he is the architect that started the monument we saw in Edinburgh. Overall, a very beautiful and low-key walk.

Kew to Hammersmith

February 22, 2011

Led by: Carly Flamm & Liz Bevan

Since we are going to have very limited time in March to do walks, we decided to find the longest walk on the list, and do it this morning when we had time. It was a very beautiful neighborhood and a neat walk, but it was not my favorite so far. It seemed like the second half of the walk, the only landmarks were small plaques on buildings, so the mileage seemed unnecessary. Plus, it was a little annoying that it started in Zone 4. Despite these two small setbacks, it was a very beautiful walk. It was nice to be able to spend so much time just walking along the calm Thames River. St. Anne's Church had a really cool graveyard, and it reminded me of a spooky Halloween movie, even in the daytime! And the park by Chiswick Home was perfect; there were flowers blooming, dogs frolicking and kids playing on the lawn. For once, I truly felt like I was in a London suburb and it was picturesque. It was obviously a nice area, because the cars lining the street were very flashy ones. It was a beautiful walk, just not as exciting as all of the other ones.

Westminster & St. James

The Westminster/St. James walk was a really neat walk, because we did it at night. Since we were leaving at night, Liz, Paige and I decided that all of us should bring our books and tag-team leading the walk, to keep us from getting lost at night. This area of town was neat to see at night because it's usually a very touristy area but much of the trail was deserted. The many monuments (it seemed like there were millions) looked more glorious and impressive in the dark. Seeing Buckingham Palace and Westminster Abbey lit up at night was stunning, and I feel like the details in the stone's carving were more apparent an clear at night.`What a wonderful walk and beautiful night!

Lambeth and the South Bank

2/8/2011

This has been one of my favorite walks so far. Once again led by the spectacular Kaylee, we loved walking by many of the touristy parts of town. Believe it or not, I have been here in London for over a month and today was my first time walking by the London Eye! I enjoyed seeing a theatre named after Queen Victoria, because she has been so interesting to learn about. Archbishop's park was so beautiful today; there were small flowers starting to bloom and it was absolutely stunning. The Museum of Garden History we walked through was beautiful, but it would be more extraordinary further into the spring. It was so wonderful outside as we walked down the Thames River, that we were able to walk outside without our coats for the first time. I loved the beautiful views from this walkway and crossing the Waterloo Bridge. I am definitely bringing my parents on this walk when they come pick me up in April!

Here we are by the famous garden. Unfortunately, there aren't many plants visible in the picture.

Here we are by the gorgeous river in the wonderful weather! Parliament looks HUGE!

Inns of Court

Before I even speak of the landmarks of this walk, I would like to glorify Kaylee for being the best guide I have had thus far. We never had to stop and figure out where to turn, and we never got lost. She rocks!

But this was a really great walk. I was really impressed by how clean this area was. This may be a random observation, but I really loved the neat design of the fence surrounding the Royal Courts of Justice. By Clement's Inn, I loved how green the grass was, even in January! It was especially fun for me to see the Old Curiousity Shop because I have been in Dicken's Christmas Carol four different times at the Hale Center Theatre. I was so shocked during this walk when we walked through a door, and felt like we would be walking into a building, but four feet later were standing in a wide street. And walking through the London School of Economics campus was fun, because we could see masses of people near our own age, and they looked so official. I think it's really neat that Sir John Soane turned his house into a museum; I hope to go back when I have more time. I am also in awe that a building used to be in the middle of the street, so they left a monument and reassembled the entire building elsewhere. The monument was neat, though, and I did not realize there was a difference between the city of London and Westminster. The picture of me above is me standing by the Knight's templar--I have heard of them before, so I wanted to get a picture then come home and learn more. Excellent walk!

The City East Walk

I had no clue that there was an entire area of the city that I had never explored. Just when I thought I was starting to feel familiar with London, I discover I have seen nothing. It amazes me how many different buildings have burned down in "great fires" over the years. I wish the St. Mary-at-Hill Church had not been destroyed in 1986, because that would have been neat to see a building that was over 1000 years old. But in the financial business, all of the locals were dressed so sharply and professionally. It was so bizarre to see the tall, ancient buildings line the same streets as the modern, glass buildings that reach towards the clouds up above. The public garden that used to be Wren's church and was destroyed in WWII was absolutely beautiful and so green. The small alleyways and cobblestone streets were so quaint. We loved seeing a monument to an American man, Perry. My favorite part was the Guildhall Yard. It was so open and the buildings were elaborate and beautiful. Honestly, we saw so much on this walk and my mind is still trying to piece together the many magnificent landmarks we walked by.

Notting Hill

We woke up early this morning so we could go to the Portobello Road Market which takes place every Saturday. It was amazing. When we first got off the tube at the correct station, we took a wrong turn and started wandering around a sketchy area of town. It was definitely a relief when we found our way to the true beginning of the walk and started on our way. It was so much fun being in the sea of people at the market. I bought the coolest necklace that has a clock on it, and I am so excited about it. And I have wanted a locket since I was little girl and admired my Grandma's, so I had to purchase one when I saw it on the street. I have to go back to this market next week, because I saw the cutest scarf I have ever seen, and already regret choosing not to buy it; I hope it's still there. The people in the street were fun, too. A man selling us sunglasses gave Liz and I the advice to write as if we were smoking drugs, to make our writing more exciting and unpredictable. Oh, London, how I love you!

We went back today to finish the second half of this walk, where we moved beyond the Portobello Road section of the walk. I am so glad we went back! I have lived in Notting Hill for two weeks now, and never understood why the name “hill” was included in the name, because it was basically flat. It was so fun to walk up hills and go through the subhurbs. I wish I had a key to any of the residential gardens. And it was so sweet to see all of the children in their schools wearing their matching uniform skirts, tights, and jumpers.

Soho Walk

Soho. This walk was so much fun, because it felt like such an adventure. Sharon, Liz and I had the chance to lead a large group on this walk. We possibly made a wrong turn at the beginning under someone else's leadership, but we found our way back and kept up the walk. I was bummed that the toy museum wasn't a free attraction, but it was still fun to peek through the windows. And in Soho Square, I loved the little hut-like structure behind the statue of Charles II. I thought it was so neat to be on the same street where the cause of cholera was discovered! That is such an impactful scientific discovery, and it was a cool experience. The book wasn't exaggerating when it said the ground level was raised six feet by St. Anne's parish church; that was crazy. I was also surprised by how empty China Town was, but it's probably because we were walking through in the morning. It was fun to see all of the street signs have Chinese writing on the bottom of them. And I loved finding where Leicester Square was, because I was able to buy half-priced tickets to Chicago. And Trafalgar Square is such a classic London site that needs no words. It was fun to become more familiar with so many different places in the city!

Central Parks Walk

I did the Central Parks walk right after we watched the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace with a large group. I had barely seen anything of London at this point, so the walk was absolutely amazing. The most memorable fact I learned is that they kept an elephant in St. James's Park that drank a gallon of wine a day. What an expensive drinking habit! I really enjoyed walking through Wellington Arch, because I learned so much about triumphal arches in my Humanities class last year. I loved being able to point out the coffering and random architectural features. And when we were walking back by the palace, we got to see the soldiers marching down the street. They were so close to me that I could have touched them! And when we were walking the length of the Serpentine, I loved watching the locals roller-ski down the sidewalks with ease. The beginners looked a little foolish, yet I looked foolish when I tried to pose like Peter Pan by the Peter Pan statue, so I figure it's acceptable. I was shocked how cold everyone seemed to be by the end of the walk. It was really nice to have the end of the walk be close to our home in Kensington Gardens, because it was familiar. We are so lucky to live walking distance from all of these beautiful sites.