For example Hyde Park! Of course there is Hyde Park Speaker's Corner where you can stand on a box etc. and talk about what concerns you. It also more or less marks the west end of Oxford Street which means most people are familiar with it in some way.
But did you ever see the rest of the park? Like, actually walked through it? It is amazing, I promise. Starting in the south east (tube station Hyde Park Corner) you have a few little gardens and memorials which all look very aesthetic. Between this spot and the Serpentine which is a very big lake you can actually try and feed the squirrels. They will come to you! They will climb up your leg, not kidding! It is so much fun, especially when you see little kids getting really excited about it and old couples sitting on benches giving out nuts.
The Serpentine itself is really nice to look at when you walk by, or you can get a pedal boat if you like. There are also a few cafes if you want to sit down, watch the people walk by and maybe get a coffee and something to eat... if you can.
If you walk on the south side of the lake, you will get to the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain eventually. It was closed when I was there due to autumn preparations, but normally you can just walk around there, put your feet in the water, as long as you are not disrespectful. Walking a bit further you get to a really nice statue of Peter Pan with animals, mermaids and elfs swirling around the base. Then there are the Italian Gardens, a lovely place at the end of the lake. It has waterspout fountains and can also be visited by taking the Tube to the Lancaster Gate Station. This spot is almost the middle of the park all the way in the North because the Serpentine make a 90° turn that you barely notice when you concentrate on the landscape.
I then took a slightly different path down to the Speke Monument and south past the Physical Energy Statue to the Albert Memorial and the Royal Albert Hall. These is an amazing Memorial, with a lot of gold and statues representing the four continents Europe, America, Africa and Asia (using stereotypes of course) but also ideals like justice and bravery. I would have loved to see Kensington Palace but I already had other plans and had to leave. Another day I will come back to finish my journal (*dramatic music*).
Anyway, I took a bus towards Trafalgar Square ad walked to Covent Garden from there. I didn't really have a purpose except that I wasn't there for two years and I wanted to see what's different and new. For example, the last time I was here they didn't have any decoration hanging from the ceiling; at least I didn't remember it....
At this point I was getting slightly hungry and I knew some of the other au pairs were planning on meeting at Waterloo Station to go to a museum together. So I went down to the Southbank Centre behind which a small food market opens its doors every weekend including friday. I can absolutely recommand it, it is very nice, the atmosphere is good and there is so much to try from all around the world that everyone can find something to enjoy. I waited a few minutes for Nele and togethewe ate a cheeseburger before we walked to the next bus stop. As it turns out, most of the others didn't have time after all and Sarah was already at the museum.
Taking the bus to the British Museum we were a bit confused when we weren't able to find Sarah even though we called her and were standing at the tourist shop right at the beginning. Until we figured out: we were at the wrong museum!
Yep. We managed to confuse the British Museum with the National History Museum. Thanks google!
So, taking another two buses, we told her to stay were she is and that we would be there as fast as possible. Which means another 45 minutes, because of course we missed the bus right as it was driving by!
When we finally managed to get there it was already late, at least considering the time we wanted to be there in the first place, so we narrowed it down to the dinosaur exhibition and the human body exhibition. The first one is always my favorite: dinosaurs were a childhood obsession of mine and I still enjoy movies and documentations about them. It is really well done, with signs that explain everything without being boring, graphics and even pieces you can touch.
The human body one was ok, with interactive parts as well that show you how your muscles work etc, even though you know most of it from biology class anyway.
And that was basically the end of the day! We went straight to a pub afterwards to meet the others as usual. Next time, we really need to make clear were we want to go exactly.
(21.11.15)
Anyway, I took a bus towards Trafalgar Square ad walked to Covent Garden from there. I didn't really have a purpose except that I wasn't there for two years and I wanted to see what's different and new. For example, the last time I was here they didn't have any decoration hanging from the ceiling; at least I didn't remember it....
At this point I was getting slightly hungry and I knew some of the other au pairs were planning on meeting at Waterloo Station to go to a museum together. So I went down to the Southbank Centre behind which a small food market opens its doors every weekend including friday. I can absolutely recommand it, it is very nice, the atmosphere is good and there is so much to try from all around the world that everyone can find something to enjoy. I waited a few minutes for Nele and togethewe ate a cheeseburger before we walked to the next bus stop. As it turns out, most of the others didn't have time after all and Sarah was already at the museum.
Taking the bus to the British Museum we were a bit confused when we weren't able to find Sarah even though we called her and were standing at the tourist shop right at the beginning. Until we figured out: we were at the wrong museum!
Yep. We managed to confuse the British Museum with the National History Museum. Thanks google!
So, taking another two buses, we told her to stay were she is and that we would be there as fast as possible. Which means another 45 minutes, because of course we missed the bus right as it was driving by!
When we finally managed to get there it was already late, at least considering the time we wanted to be there in the first place, so we narrowed it down to the dinosaur exhibition and the human body exhibition. The first one is always my favorite: dinosaurs were a childhood obsession of mine and I still enjoy movies and documentations about them. It is really well done, with signs that explain everything without being boring, graphics and even pieces you can touch.
The human body one was ok, with interactive parts as well that show you how your muscles work etc, even though you know most of it from biology class anyway.
And that was basically the end of the day! We went straight to a pub afterwards to meet the others as usual. Next time, we really need to make clear were we want to go exactly.
(21.11.15)
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