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.