I took a train from Reading and landed up at Paddington station 30 minutes later. The off-peak price for London starts at 09:30 and costs 14.50 Pounds, compared to the 18 pounds peak hour price, it is quite a good saving. From Paddington station I followed the map and walked for about 15 minutes and reached the entrance to Hyde Park. Its probably the most written about parks and also the most well known. Entered the historic park through its Lancaster gate.
As I enterd the royal park, the first scene that greeted me was this beautiful Italian garden.Since it was Winter the flowers had not blossomed, I can only imagine how it will look in winter.
Hyde park is divided into two sections by a water body called the serpentine (Although it is common to refer to the entire body of water as the Serpentine, strictly the name refers only to the eastern half of the lake. Serpentine Bridge, which marks the boundary between Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens) . This is one end of the Serpentine which is crowned by this beautiful fountain.
I did not have much time and had to cross the massive park and hence briskly started walking along this road which passes along the banks of the Serpentine. I saw a lot of people feeding ducks and is a beautiful sight to watch.
The Serpentine is lined by scores of ducks and cormorants and makes a lovely walk, without one realising the distance covered.
Along the way, I spotted a Memorial, which was dedicated to Diana, the princes of Wales. In the memorial water Flows from the highest point in two directions. It Cascades Swirls and bubbles before meeting in a calm pool at the bottom. The water is constantly being refreshed and is drawn form a chalk aquifer 100 meters below. The massive memorial has 3 bridges, on which one can walk to go to the heart of the memorial.
As I continued my long walk I spotted this bridge, called the Serpentine bridge, built in 1890's it divides the water body into two sections. The building in the backdrop is the London Park tower Casino.
Kensington garden and Hyde park are dotted with a lot of memorials and fountains and half a day is required to see all of them. I continued my walk towards the Hyde park corner after passing through the famed Speakers corner.
Near the Hydepark corner gate as I exited the park, I spotted this massive statue of Achillies and is dedicated to " The Duke of Wellington and his brave comrades in arms"
As I exited the Hydepark, I was immediately confronted by this Wellington Arch. One can actually climb the monument and see the statue ( for a small fee) and see the view of all the memorials around.
The statue on top depicts the angel of peace descend on the chariot of war. The Beauty of this bronze sculpture can further be appretiated if you click on the image for a enlarged look.
Passing underneath the Wellington arch, I reached the Constitution Road, which has monuments dedicated to the Commonwealth soldiers of the World wars.
I walked down the constitution road and reached the Bukingham palace and found hordes of tourist here and a lot of security. I stood there wondering the reason for the spectacle, when suddenly I saw a royal convey come out of the palace and in it was the queen and her husband Prince Philip.
I wasn't in a postion to get a good shot and this is the best I could manage.
Bang opposite to the Bukingham palace is this 'Victoria Memorial' It was built in 1911 to honour Queen Victoria. As well as the 13 feet high statue of Victoria there are angelic figures representing Charity, Courage, Truth and Justice. The gold figure at the top of the monument represents Victory.
Crossed the road across the statue and I got a panoramic view of the Buckingham Palace
From there I continued walking on the Bird Cage road which lines one side of St James Park. The park was mostly marsh with lots of birds like Moorhen and Pelicans. Continuing down the street for about twenty minutes I found a very familiar landmark- The Big Ben. The tower is like a symbol for London.
As I approached the tower the imposing Westminster abbey came into sight. The view is arresting and stunning. Every Monarch other than Edward V and Edward VIII have been crowned here since William the Conqueror. I kept walking around the abbey totally awed by its beauty.
Below is the Imposing statue of Richard I .
One of the Towers, if you click on the image for a closer look you can see statues of ten Christian Martyrs . The tower forms part of a grand royal entrance to the Abbey.
Next to the abbey is the Victoria Tower garden and in it is this memorial by Rodin. It Commemorates six citizens of Calais who offered themselves as Hostages had vainly besieged their town and 1317.
Walked the Victoria Tower gardens and then crossed the Lambeth Bridge and this is how the Abbey looks across the Thames.
Walking on the opposite bank of the Thames river towards the Westminster bridge, I was attracted by these beautifully decorated lamp posts.
As I kept approaching the Westminster bridge, I was confronted by another side of London, the law enforcement. Two suspects were chased and apprehended by these Taser wielding policemen and after a quick frisk of their body were handcuffed and taken away. London is certainly a safe city, thanks to the police.
Another glance at the Westminster and the Westminster bridge and i started walking on the bridge.
On the left of the bridge is the London Eye . A huge slow moving Ferry's Wheel, was initially started as a temporary structure but it was so loved that it is now permanent. The wheel takes 30 minutes for one full circle.
From the Bridge I hit the parliament street towards Trafalgar Square. The road is lined with beautiful Victorian Buildings on either side and every building seems to be better than the other.
I reached Trafalgar square, the public heart of London. Londoners gather here for any celebrations from football victory celebrations to festivals.The square is flanked by the exquisitely built buildings of National Portrait gallery , National Gallery and the Church of St. Martin- in-the-fields. In the Center of the square is a 43.5 meter high column, from which Nelson surveys his fleet. The monument was built to commemorate the 1805 victory over Napoleon off Cape Trafalgar in square.
The base of the tall monument has beautiful relief engravings
On the four sides of the column are these four massive lions. These are probably the most photographed structures of London. These bronze lions are said to have been built using the metal from Spanish canons.
From Trafalgar square I walked towards Piccadilly Circus and on the Haymarket road I saw "Her Majesty's Theater". This famous theater has hosted premieres by major playwrights such as George Bernard Shaw, J. M. Synge, Noel Coward and J. B. Priestley. Today Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera, has been playing here continuously since 1986.
From here I reached London's most famous road junction; Piccadilly Circus. Named after the stiff collars (Picadils) that were the sartorial staple of a 17th century tailor who lived nearby. The Circus here actually comes from the latin 'Circus' meaning Circle. There is a Statue of Eros here and can be seen in the photograph. The advertising neon boards are on the Virgin Megastore.
From Piccadilly I headed back to Padington via the Oxford street, which is the Mecca of European Shopping. Probably every expensive and famous brand is represented by a store here. For many British chain stores, their Oxford Street branch is regarded as their 'flagship' store and used for celebrity launches and promotions.
After two and a half kilometers of window shopping I reached back Paddington station and headed back to Reading. I started my walk at 10:10 and was done around 18:30.
I just did not realise the time flyby as in walked into streets and streets of history.
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