I have hardly been in London a day (I know another late post - I've been busy in Brussels), and I already think of it as home.
This morning, we woke up early, had tea and breakfast, and struck out on our goal to... nap. Seriously, we napped for so long after breakfast. But then, we struck out on our trip to Diana's Memorial Garden. Luckily, it didn't rain on us, and for that I was glad. The garden is more like London's equivalent of Central Park. It is a huge beautiful park meant for dog walking, long walks, and any other activity that doesn't include biking.
There is a roped off section with a set of classic wooden swings with rope holding them up. I'm sure they rope it off to keep it looking good, and so tourists don't ruin it. I was angry because I've always wanted a picture on one of those swings. I"m William and Harry swung on them as boys, when Diana ventured into the park with her escort. Also, I'm sure the diplomatic custom of giving swans (I may have gotten my birds mixed up) meant that they ended up on the park's river, which is very calming and adylic with natural trees and gorgeous weeping willows (which I am aware are trees, they just deserve special mention because they are so majestic in their old age. There is a small Island, topped with a little house further in the park.
You can also walk up to and look at the garden by the old bird tender's cabin. It's a quaint little cabin with a beautifully tended garden. All along the paths in the park are large golden medals claiming the park as Princess Diana's Memorial Garden, in case you ever forget. There is a beautiful view of all the palaces around the lake, there are three, as well as the London eye. We went close to 9 PM, so there weren't a lot of people, but there was still adequate light to see by.
I enjoyed the sheer idea of the park's exploration possibilities. It is so large and has so many nooks and fields. I almost want to picnic there and make it a day long experience, although I'd have to be careful about my knee which acted up halfway through our beautiful walk. My parents were a cute old couple enjoying a meander in the park, taking pictures and in general calmly enjoying the night together.
We topped the night off at the Cask and Glass with a Pint of Bombardier, a dark ale . But, what I didn't realize is that many beers (and drinks in general) have at least 7 percent to at most 10 percent (haven't seen or been warned about anything higher) alcohol in them, so one is plenty enough. I have discovered I enjoy dark British beers versus light ales (because honestly they taste similar to Miller and Budweiser, two beers I can't stand). We also explored a bit around the area getting our barrings of Victoria Station and the various eateries.
I haven't spent anything on souvenirs yet, but I figure I've got plenty of time to fine worthwhile ones while I'm here.
Cheers to another good day,
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