 |
| Chuck is always sneaking up behind me! |
So, to start off, I mistakenly labeled the Houses of Parliament as Westminster Abbey on yesterdays post. Its changed on the original but just in case you noticed the picture didn’t match the description, I got my buildings mixed up. There are so many and Parliament Square is HUGE!…..Sorry…
While in Virginia, we drove to put a suitcase in storage. While there I traded out my camera. I am so happy! I love my Canon SLR. Yes, its a little more bulky and heavier than that pocket camera but I’ll trade that over the ability to have crisp clear photos anytime. Some of our photos are taken with the IPhone.
 |
| Winston Churchill |
Those work great for Facebook and this blog but not if I want to do more with my photos when we finish our traveling. I love getting creative with my photos and I just couldn’t do that with the Sony.
 |
| Mahatma Gandhi |
Before I was deleting about 1/2 my photos, taking more than necessary to get the grain out of it. Now, I can spend more time enjoying the view rather than trying to check the picture on my screen. So much better!
 |
| Nelson Mandela |
After my disappointment about Big Ben, we walked around Parliament Square. This is a large open green area with twelve statues of statesmen and other notable individuals.
 |
| Guarded entrance. We walked on by. |
Those most recognized by us were Gandhi, Churchill and Mandela. It was a nice area to relax with park benches around.
 |
| America! |
As we walked around the business area of Parliament we noticed engraved in the buildings many countries names along the wall.
 |
| Changing of the Horse Guards. The horses were very calm. |
The archways and entrances make such a beautiful area if you are interested in architecture. My opinion is that London is an architectural dream!
 |
| Pure concentration! |
Off on another venture, we almost got in the way of the changing of the “horse guards” not to be confused with the changing of the Queens Guard at Buckingham palace.
 |
| Such beautiful horses! |
It may not be as popular or well-known but the Changing the Queen’s Lifeguard ceremony at the Horse Guards Parade is something to see. We didn’t know it even existed and just stumbled on it. We watched as they changed their positions and performed their royal salutes and then we moved on.
 |
| Peter Pan statue |
We stopped to check out the Peter Pan statue. It is a 1912 bronze sculpture of J. M. Barrie’s character Peter Pan. Barrie commissioned the statue to be made and installed close to his former home on Bayswater Road.
 |
| So many different species of water life |
Barrie’s stories were inspired in part by the gardens: the statue is located at the place where Peter Pan lands in Barrie’s 1902 book The Little White Bird after flying out of his nursery.
 |
| We thought this one had a pretty face |
 |
| S-T-R-E-T-C-H…… |
Someone was having a birthday party there so they “decorated” the statue. I didn’t think that was very nice but what can you do?
 |
| Paddle boats on the Serpentine River |
We are still walking around Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park. They are right next to each other and there is a river called the Serpentine River. It is a 40-acre recreational lake in Hyde Park, created in 1730 at the request of Queen Caroline.
 |
| One part of the Serpentine Gallery. More artwork we missed on the other side. Next visit! |
Although it is common to refer to the entire body of water as the Serpentine, strictly the name refers only to the eastern half of the lake. The western half next to the Peter Pan statue is called the Long Water.
 |
| Swan Yoga? |
The lake has swans, ducks, geese and people riding paddle boats galore. It was very entertaining. We sat and watched for quite a while. Chuck was hoping someone would fall off a boat!
 |
| Beautiful colors at the entrance of Hyde Park |
It was both relaxing and another new experience. The dogs were also having a good time. All of the area around Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park is gated.
 |
| Wanna play catch? He lost his ball and had to take a break while his human found it! |
The gates are open for certain hours. You can bring your dog in on a leash but you are allowed to let them roam and play off the leash. It was a HUGE running ground for the dogs. They were fun to watch!
 |
| Feeding the squirrels by hand was also a thing! They like peanuts. |
Going back out tomorrow as long as the weather holds up. It is getting cool now and the rain is more frequent so we are keeping an eye on our weather app as to when/if we should go out daily. Sometimes the weather is better in the afternoons so we can hit the road after lunch.
May God bless you always!
Chuck & Lea Ann
WorldTravelReynolds 