George and I haven't had much R&R recently due to George's deadlines at work and my interviews and applications. So, when our friends, Liz and Bruce, offered us their flat in London for the weekend, we jumped at the chance! Unfortunately, our camera is on the fritz, so you'll just have to be satisfied with my 'colorful' descriptions.
We were fully prepared for rain or at least gloom this weekend but instead got to experience a rare sunny and warm weekend! So, instead of heading to the Tate Modern as we had planned, we went for a long stroll through Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens instead. What wonderful parks! The parks are connected by a series of twisting paths which wind their way around the Serpentine Lake, cafes, flower gardens, and, of course, Kensington Palace. We followed the Diana, Princess of Wales, Memorial Trail part of the way and wound up perusing the sunken gardens at the Palace. One of the highlights for me was watching the courtship display of the Great Crested Grebe, in front of a crowd of hundreds! Our other favorite part was actually sitting down on the grass (not wet!), taking off our shoes (!), and taking a nap on the grass under a flowering apple tree. So peaceful...
In the evening we enjoyed a delicious meal at the home of our new friends, Chris and Carolyn. Both Chris and Carolyn are world travelers and have wetted our appetites for more travel. Thanks for the introduction, Micol and Chin!
Today, we visited the free and amazing Saatchi Gallery. At the moment, they have an amazing exhibit called Unveiled: New Art from the Middle East. The variety amongst the pieces was really astounding - some angry, some sad, some funny. Our favorite exhibit was Ghost, by an artist named Kader Attia. A whole room full of empty, tin foil Muslim worshipers...very powerful!
We learned two very important lessons this weekend. First is that although London is one of the most expensive places to visit, there are tons of things to do for free or very inexpensively. We took a double-decker bus home from our dinner date and got a great impromptu tour of the city for £1! The second lesson is that regardless of your plans, if it is sunny out, you have to abandon your plans and do something outside instead. London in the sun is really beautiful and Londoners are practically bubbling over with kindness. That is something you really don't want to miss!
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1 comment:
I can't wait for London and Cambridge.
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