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.