Friday, June 10, 2011

Walks Summary

My three favorite walks were Regent’s Park, Bankside and Southwark, and Central Parks.

Regent’s Park was the most beautiful park I have ever been to in my life. It was the perfect walk to set the tone for the rest of my London experience. I loved getting to know everyone, stopping at Camden Market for treats, lounging in the grass and people watching, and learning about all the beautiful estates we passed.

The Bankside and Southwark walk was at the perfect time on the perfect day. We took it slow and easy because we were all so tired from Rome but I still loved it. We weren’t afraid to sit down and watch boats go by on the River, stop for snacks along the way, and chat with a few of the locals. This is one of my favorite parts in all of London.

The central parks walk was enhanced by the bike riding. I was worried I wouldn’t enjoy it because we had seen most of the walk already, but it proved me wrong and ended up being a really positive experience. I love biking so learning bike etiquette in London was terrifyingly fun. I do not think I am brave enough to bike on some of those streets again, but it was fun to see different parts of the parks I had not experienced before.

Walk #10: The City (East)

Lauren, Me, and Britton trying to stay dry!
 I wish that when we had done this walk it had not have been during the pouring rain otherwise I feel like we would have enjoyed it a lot more. It was great seeing the Tower of London again, Bank of England, and cute little pubs and restaurants. My favorite part of this walk was when we accidentally met up with some others in our group and ate at this delicious pub. It was perfect to sit back, warm up, and dry off for a little bit and really experience some of the English pub culture. I wish I could remember the name of it because it was one of my favorite places I have eaten at my whole time here. As miserable and wet this walk was, we still got to see some cool things so I am glad we did it.

Walk #9: Bankside and Southwark

It may not have been the smartest idea, but we did a walk right after we got home from Rome. Tired, hungry, but needing to finish a walk, we knew it had to get it done. Amanda, Bri and I really enjoyed this sunset walk along the Thames River. Amanda did a fabulous job navigating us along the water. We saw familiar sights such as the Globe, Rose, Tate Modern, and Millennium bridge but were also able to see some new things like City Hall, Tower Bridge and my favorite- Tower of London. The streets were deserted and it felt like we had the entire place to ourselves. We took our sweet time and enjoyed the sunset views. I am really going to miss this place.
Sunset view from Tower Bridge


Roasted peanuts were the cherry on top of the walk

Our feet, standing on the crack of the Tower Bridge-- you can even see the water underneath!


Tower Bridge and a little bit of Tower of London

Finally done, and our feet HURT from walking so much

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Walk #8 Lambeth and Southbank

This walk was one I am glad we were able to do. I had never seen this part of town before and am not sure that I would have seen it. This seemed to be the least city part of London- smaller and older buildings, less businessmen walking around, and very few shops or restaurants to stop at. It was fun to see all the theaters and how much smaller from the outside they look compared to the ones surrounding Piccadilly Circus. I wish I had more time to really explore this area. This one wasn't my favorite walk but we still managed to make it fun.
{Taylor, Me Anna in front of the Old Vic theater}
{Close up of the theater}
{Don't ever try to take pictures under a bridge because the lighting will be terrible}