Day 14: Final Frolic in London (Part 1)

The last full day of the trip… May 29th. This was an action packed day (since we tried to do anything and everything we possibly could) so it will definitely split it up into two posts. We started off our day at Westminster Abbey, and got to see Big Ben during the day on our way there!

The Abbey was founded in AD 960 as a Benedictine monastery. The tour was a self-guided audio tour. It was amazing to see the detail throughout the entire building and a church that is so old, but still used today.

They do not allow photos to be taken so I cannot show you what the inside looked like unfortunately 🙁 What I can show you are part of the gardens, which were beautiful of course. Below is part of the College Garden, with Westminster Abbey behind it. It is said that this is the oldest garden in England.

From here we headed to Buckingham Palace to say hello to the Queen.. from a distance. There was construction in the area since the upcoming weekend was The Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II, which celebrates her 60th anniversary to the throne.

We listened in on a tour passing by us for little bit. The tour guide said that the flag flying on top of the palace means that the Queen is in the building. Makes me wonder what she is doing while all these people are just standing outside her home… I would feel a little strange.

Next we made our way to Hyde Park for lunch. We packed lunches that day so we could have a picnic in the park… and we couldn’t have asked for a more perfect day or place. We found a cozy little area and ate a nice and relaxing lunch, soaking up the beautiful scenery around us.

After lunch we continued to walk through Hyde Park and came across something very strange….

I never knew trees could be this cool. It was so different that it was enticing. We had to stop and get a closer look. As we entered, the inside was magical. There were groups of kids playing and running around. I felt like I was in some kind of fairytale dreamland. I never would have guessed that I would be elaborating about a tree. It really is the little things…

Realizing it was time to move on, we kept walking and stopped to take a group picture next to the water. The Flat 2 roomies! Not only did studying abroad give me the opportunity to travel to amazing places, but I also got to meet an amazing group of friends. The trip was even more fun, exciting, and better than anything I ever could have expected because of them.

Oh, and beware of the swans of course. We made sure to keep our distance from these innocent-looking but vicious creatures.

Continuing along the path we stopped when we saw these beautiful flowers. I don’t think I have ever seen such a vivid, colorful garden.

We went to the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain next. I love the man in the business suit just chilling on the grass. Afternoon siesta maybe? Now that’s how you take advantage of a beautiful afternoon.

The water was like ice, but you wouldn’t be able to tell from all the kids and people enjoying it. The cold felt fantastic on our feet though. As you can imagine, by this point in the trip our feet were killing us. So a little taste of some nice ice water felt great.

We journeyed on to Neverland to see Peter Pan. Neverland, meaning Kensington Gardens. This statue has been there since May 1st, 1912 as a gift from the creator of Peter Pan, Sir James Barrie, OM.

Finally, our last nature stop was The Italian Gardens. They have been known for inspiring romance.

I will leave it at that for today, but there is still much more of the day left. Next stop: Harrods!

Little Matters,

Marissa