Favorite Walks!

I can't believe that I'm done with the walks and that our time in London is almost up! Here's the rundown on my three favorite walks:

1. Southwark and Bankside

This was one of the first walks I did, and it was a fun because we did part of it at night and part by day. This area is actually one of my very favorites in London and I've been there a lot. This might be partly because Nick, Scott, and I found our favorite little lunch joint by chance on this walk. Amano on Clink Street is so good! I've been four times! Southwark and Bankside has some of the best views in all of London, too. I love walking across the Millennium Bridge to the Tate Modern and then looking back at St. Paul's, plus looking down the Thames to London Bridge and the Tower Bridge. Not to mention, the Globe is right there too. It's just an all-around cool part of London, I think!

2. Central Parks

Central Parks was so fun and so beautiful! I'm not exaggerating when I say that this was one of my favorite things I've done the whole time here in London. It only cost a pound to rent a bike and ride through London for an hour. We saw so many things! -- Trafalgar Square, Buckingham Palace, St. James' Park, Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens, and Kensington High Street. I will highly recommend going on a bike ride through the parks and the city to anyone who visits London!

 3. Regent's Park

Regent's Park is my favorite park in London. I fell in love with it on this walk. It is so beautiful and well-kept; I loved the rowing pond, and huge open fields, and the perfectly-manicured gardens. There were tons of families out, people walking dogs or playing football, and everyone was just enjoying themselves on such a beautiful day. It made me realize that even amidst the hustle and bustle of city life, Londoners really know how to relax and enjoy nature and life. 

Walk #10: Bloomsbury

Yesterday morning I set out by myself to do my final walk. Yay! I was pleasantly surprised by the Bloomsbury area, which I'd never been to before. It was pretty quiet, well-kept, and residential. I saw a lot of families in the various squares and parks, and a lot of young and middle-aged professionals walking to work. I liked seeing these real Londoners out and about doing their normal routines. I think Bloomsbury is an area I could live in if I were to move to London. It's definitely close to the heart of the city and everything you need, but at the same time there's not too much touristy stuff nearby or hustle and bustle. On this walk there were also a few notable sights along this walk, including the Foundling Museum, Charles Dickens' House, and of course, the mammoth British Museum. This is where I ended my walk so I could finally go in and see it and get that off my checklist before leaving London!

Charles Dickens' house

Is this for real? Who picked that name? But seriously, where can I get transfer papers?

The British Museum is way cool!

Walk #9: Lambeth and Southbank

Lambeth and South Bank was yet another cool walk. I just decided to go by myself one afternoon. I liked that it was an easy stroll along the Thames a lot of the way and offered a lot of major London sights and great views, even though it was a cloudy day. It's fun to walk down the sidewalk past the London Eye and the Southbank Center, London Aquarium, etc. I also liked walking by the Somerset House again after visiting it for the Courtald Gallery. I thought the Lambeth part of the walk was nice since it is a pretty area with nice parks and quaint streets. This was certainly another enjoyable and peaceful walk through London!

Walk #8: Westminster

A few Sundays ago after chuch, Tara, Scott, Shelisa, Hannah and I went on the Westminster walk. I took another whirl at leading, and it went pretty well since a lot of this area was familiar.  This walk was great because we got to go past some of my favorite, sights in London. I love stepping out of Westminster station and seeing Big Ben and Parliament looming above and Westminster Abbey just across the street. The view right there along the Thames is awesome too.  I was also glad to finally go on this walk because we saw famous things that I was worried I wouldn't get the chance to see, like the remains of Whitehall Palace, No. 10 Downing Street, the Horse Guard Parade and where the Trooping of the Colour will be held later this week, and St. James's Palace, which looked like a mini Hampton Court. Around that area we walked through some streets that had a ton of really fancy, high-end men's stores. Scott dubbed it "the man district." Toward the end of the walk I liked strolling past Buckingham Palace. It was beautiful on a sunny day and it wasn't way crowded like during the Royal Wedding. Westminster is a really pretty area that I thought I knew pretty well, but actually hadn't seen much of before.

Horse Guard Parade

St. James's Palace

I got a picture in a guard box!

Just the girls in front of Buck Palace