A Walk in the Park

Although London is a very busy, noisy city, there are incredible parks that provide an enjoyable get-away. I have loved exploring the beautiful Regents Park, Holland Park, and of course my next-door-neighbor, Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens. Each provides their own unique charm. Upon strolling through each one, I was struck every time by what a peaceful, serene atmosphere can be found just off the streets of a city that is always so loud, crowded, and so in motion. It was absolutely wonderful to slow down, enjoy nature, and breathe the fresh air while my mind was free to roam.
Exploring Hyde Park was especially helpful for me, as I go running it almost every morning, and was previously always getting lost amongst the meandering paths and trails. I definitely want to return to Speaker’s Corner on a Sunday to hear the radical speakers that supposedly frequent the famous preacher’s soap box. The Apsley House and Wellington Arch were really neat. I thought Rotten Row was a strange name for the dirt path lining the southern end of the park. The Holocaust Memorial Garden had the most gorgeous flowers. Surrounded by vibrant colors, I had to take a moment to sit on a bench and breathe deeply of the incredible fragrances. Probably my favorite part of the park is running along the bank of the Serpentine at sunrise; the experience is irreplaceable.
Holland was a neat little park that is a lot closer to the Centre than I thought. Along the way, I was enchanted by the Holland Park mews, a street where all of the houses used to be mews, or stables and servants quarters for the mansions they served. The stables are now garages and each of the houses on that unique street is super expensive. Once in the actual park, I walked around exploring. I couldn’t believe my eyes when four large, exquisite peacocks strutted across the path in front of me as I made my way to the Japanese Kyoto Gardens. There is the most beautiful waterfall there with a bridge of stepping stones across its base. It’s hard to believe this quite, picturesque retreat is just blocks in either direction from some of London’s busy thoroughfares. I thought the concept of dog toilettes throughout the park was pretty funny. I also enjoyed walking down Kensington Church Street at the walk’s conclusion.
I went to Regents Park a few weeks later than I had wanted to; fortunately the roses, though beginning to die, were still gorgeous. I never knew there were so many different kinds of roses! It was cool to catch a glimpse of the London Zoo; the walkway past the animal enclosures runs along a little river and the scenery is beautiful—what an atmosphere for a zoo! I took the extra time to ascend Primose Hill. It seems to rise up out of nowhere; you get to the top, turn around, and are shocked at the view you have of the city of London in almost every direction. This park is enormous and so pleasant in any area of it you find yourself. I thought it was cute that there is both a boating lake and a children’s boating pond. There are an unbelievable amount of ducks and geese, and most of them seemed to be sitting leisurely in the numerous vacant rowboats. One thing that really struck me about all these parks is how many people come to walk, run, socialize or even just enjoy the fresh air, regardless of the time of day. It’s really neat to see.