Let's Go Fly a Kite

Parks and music were the theme today.  We started the day off at Regent's Park, a 410 acre park that holds not only the London Zoo but Primrose Hill.  Regent's Park is a royal park, meaning that the land was owned by the monarchy for their recreation (mainly hunting). The name Primrose Hill may ring a bell as it is the place they fly kites in Mary Poppins (books).  The photography theme of the day was flowers so we spent time taking pictures of the beautiful gardens in the park.  I was amazed at how many of the same flowers we also have in the States (such as begonias, bee balm, and geraniums) but certainly found a few that were new to me.

Bee Balm, a favorite of mine and something we have in the states

New Flower (the picture isn't blurry, the flower was furry)

My favorite part of the gardens had to be the rose garden, however.  So many gorgeous roses, rose bushes, and wild roses.

After that we took a pleasant walk around other parts of the park and finally made our way to Primrose Hill.  It was a bit of a steep walk but not bad and the view when we made it to the top was amazing.  I can see why this park is a favorite of some of the celebrities who reside in the area (including Chris Martin of Coldplay).  You could see so many of the city's landmarks!  To pay homage to the nanny herself, we took out our kites and had a go atop the hill.

 As you see, some of us were successful.  I was able to get my parafoil kite to fly a little but
don't think I got it very high.  Still, it was a lot of fun trying and the many people who were watching us seemed to enjoy it :)

After our park excursion, we walked over to the studio the Beatles made all their records: Abbey Road.  It was a long walk but we had the chance to see the rather posh looking neighborhood (the kind of neighborhood where milk still gets delivered to your door) where some of the Beatles lived when they would be recording.

Artists still record at Abbey Road Studios and you can still walk across the zebra crossing to reenact the famous Beatles cover.  It's pretty amazing to think of all the history that has occurred here.  I thought of friends who have visited and written their name outside the wall to the studios and wished I'd brought the Sharpie I got on the way to the airport!

Speaking of reenacting the cover image though, let's talk zebra crossings.  The nifty thing about zebra crossings (what we would think of as a usual pedestrian crossing in the US) means that the pedestrian always gets the right of way.  In the UK you either get a zebra crossing or, more usual, you get a dotted intersection.  The dotted intersection does not give the pedestrian right of way and vehicles will keep going.  I'll write more about transportation soon but crossing the road is a very serious endeavor.  That said, because this is a zebra crossing you can walk across and take photos and vehicles must stop for you.  Yay!  The only thing is that it was uncomfortable holding up traffic, especially with so many standing there wanting to do it.  As I was walking, I didn't get any pictures but some people in our group did so I'll hopefully have some to share with you when I get home.

Till next time...