1 post tagged “britain”

View other items tagged “britain:” Photos, Audio, Videos, Books or Links. View “britain” on Vox.

And so to London and Hyde Park

Jul 6, 2008
15 comments

We'd had a few days in London four years ago, and I had always wanted to return to see what I'd missed before. The sense of history in London just gets me every time. Mrs Snowy had lived in London in the late sixties, but there was much that she was yet to see, and she also wanted to take a nostalgia trip back to Earl's Court where so many young Aussies had congregated in those halcyon days.

We stayed at Royal Court Apartments in Bayswater, just a short walk from Hyde Park. Ours was a studio apartment with full cooking facilities. The location was just off Bayswater Road with a short walk to both Lancaster Gate and Paddington underground stations, and also to Hyde Park. We'd stay there again, if for no other reason than the convenient location near transport and also the London central district. This is the view of Gloucester Terrace from the entrance to the apartments.

DSC_05641154

So, the obvious place to visit was Hyde Park. This is the view of the Italian gardens.

DSC_05661156

1 comment

We continued walking through Hyde Park until we came to Kensington Palace, which is of course where Princess Diana lived after her divorce from Prince Charles. We did the tour of the palace which dates back to William of Orange, and then walked through the room where Princess Diana's evening gowns are on display. Especially poignant were the videos of the Princess obviously enjoying herself at functions where she was wearing the gowns. Such a beautiful, vivacious, young woman with no knowledge of what lay ahead for her. This was also the residence of Princess Margaret and Anthony Armstrong-Jones when they were married. That marriage ended in divorce also. This is a shot I took of Kensington Palace. Somehow it will always be associated with unhappiness for me.

DSC_05691158

We took a stroll down to Speaker's Corner. The symbolism of this corner of Hyde Park where citizens are free to speak on anything at all, including criticism of the government, did not escape me. Britain has much to be proud of, and set a fine example of tolerance for the rest of the world to follow. Unfortunately, all the speakers were preaching religion when we were there, all different of course. I was tempted to point them in the right direction, but somehow I doubt they'd be interested in my atheism. This is Speaker's Corner.

DSC_06451233

And this is a view of the Serpentine.

DSC_06421230

My admiration for the British people knows no bounds. The world owes them a huge debt for the institutions they have bequeathed to it. To say nothing of the games, including football. No, not that poofy round ball one, real football, Rugby League.

Snowy: Australia; View my profile; "A human being is a part of the whole, called by us, "Universe," a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest -- a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty. Nobody is able to achieve this completely, but the striving for such achievement is in itself a part of the liberation and a foundation for inner security." : Albert Einstein - (1879-1955) Physicist and Professor, Nobel Prize 1921

Left Wing Updated: 2 minutes ago
Freethinkers Updated: 2 minutes ago
Aussies (host) Updated: 6 minutes ago