The Final

Laura: I think that my favorite walk I went on was Regent's Park. Even though we had some trouble on that walk with angry people, and extremely slow people, I really enjoyed it. Partly because I enjoy walking out in nature and seeing all of the beauty around. I just love it.

The other two walks that I really enjoyed are the Bankside and Southward walk and Westbourne Park Station to Notting Hill. I really liked the Bankside and Southward because it was fun to get out into the city and see the Thames. I also thought it was really cool that we got to see the London Bridge. Tower of London is one of my favorite things in London so I always take the chance when I have it to walk past it (You also walk past the Tower on the City (East) walk). I liked the Westbourne Park Station to Notting Hill because it is so close to home. I think it is good for us to get out around where we are instead of just heading to the big things in London. It is really fun to walk down Portobello road and walk through the market. Even though a lot of the walk was residential its fun to see it because its where we live.

Maddy:

I present you with my top three favorite walks (and why):

1. Notting Hill

I loved this walk because it forced us to explore more deeply a part of our own neighborhood. Portobello road is so close and I loved exploring and navigating through with a purpose. It helped that this walk was littered with various bakeries and shops, which added the perfect distractions and pit stops throughout our walk.

2. South Bank

I loved this walk because it brought us to the heart of London. It seemed like we just spent a few hours wandering around and enjoying our landscape more than completing one of the assigned walks. Also, similar to Notting Hill, there were various places to stop for snacks, which always seems to lighten the mood and make for a more jovial experience.

3. Kew to Hammersmith

I know not everyone loved this walk. Yes, it was incredibly long. I'm not sure if I was in an exceptionally good mood, or if the beautiful weather made for an enhanced experience, but this was definitely one of my favorite walks. It seemed as though we just spent the whole time laughing and enjoying our walk through a less-explored part of London.

NOTE: I was the group leader for Sara, Julie, and Devon when they completed the Notting Hill walk. I had already done this walk, which made it especially easy to guide them but still enjoy it myself.

Bloomsbury

March 30, 2011

Laura: This was a great walk! One reason I really liked this one is because I am always in this area of town, but only to go to the British Museum. I never go further than that. I really liked walking Doughty Street where Charles Dickens and Sydney Smith both lived. I don’t think I can express enough how cool it is to be in all of these famous places and to see places where there is so much history. It is definitely one of my favorite reasons for being here. That is also why I love the British Museum so much. It’s amazing how much history is in that building, I could spend hours in there and not get bored. It was kind of cool to walk behind the building, all I ever do is go right to the entrance

Maddy:

As Laura said, we're often in this part of town on our visits to the British Museum. I already enjoy being in the area, but it was especially neat to learn some of the stories and history behind certain parts. For example, I loved reading in the guide book about Handel's concerts for orphans. Sometimes I forget how much history exists in the city around us. Reading about this story and seeing the exact place where the concerts took place served as a good reminder how deeply historical this city is.

Westminster and St James

March 20. 2011

Laura: I went on the Westminster walk at night since everyone said that they liked it best at night. All or the buildings lit up were beautiful. I think it is so cool living in London and just being able to hop on a bus and seeing places like Westminster and Parliament. When people think about London the Big Ben bell tower is what you think of and it is so neat that we are here and can see it anytime we want. Anyway, even though this walk was beautiful at night I kind of wish I had gone and done it during the day to see some of the statues and memorials better. I really liked the Greenwich time/date thing that was on the side walk on Abington Street right by Westminster. It was just a cool thing to see that I stopped and read and tried to figure out.

Maddy:

Similar to South Bank, I loved the scenes along this walk because they're such iconic London landmarks. I think the most intriguing part of the walk for myself was Number 10 Downing Street. Something I've been particularly interested in since coming to London is the way David Cameron and the Queen both act as primary public figures. It's interesting to compare Number 10 Downing Street to Buckingham Palace and the juxtaposition of tradition and modern government working in tandem.

Lambeth and South Bank

March 9, 2011

Laura: I really enjoyed the Lambeth and South Bank walk. It was again nice to walk along the Thames. I always enjoy being around rivers, probably because I have lived so close to one my entire life. I loved walking past the London eye and seeing all of the street performers that were along there. I always find it enjoyable to watch them. It was a lovely day with a beautiful view of parliament across the river. I also loved walking by the museum of garden history. My guess is that it probably would be kind of boring but beautiful to look at. It bet it would be gorgeous when all of the plants and flowers are in bloom.

Maddy:

I think I would go so far as to declare this my favorite walk yet. I love the stretch of sidewalk that runs adjacent to the river, alongside the London Eye. There are benches periodically placed along the river and they're the perfect place to stop and overlook the river. I have found this to be one of my favorite places in London--being visibly surrounded by Big Ben, Westminster, Parliament and the London Eye really makes it feel like I'm in London, more so than any other place in the city. This part of town was especially busy for a weekday, there were street performers, business people, runners, rollerbladers, skaters and all over the place. I liked this walk so much that I've been back a few times since, simply to relax along the Thames and overlook the city's signature skyline.