Kensington Palace and Gardens

Scott had business to take care of in London and that left me with a couple of days to explore on my own. On Wednesday I braved "the tube", London's underground transit system, and headed to Kensington. From the South Kensington train station I walked up Museum Row. On a return trip I would like to take some time and explore some of these museums but on this day I had a different goal. I eventually reached Hyde Park and Kensington Garden and found my way to the Diana, Princess of Wales, Memorial Fountain, which is actually located in Hyde Park near the lake. This fountain is in the shape of an ellipse, with the water flowing in two directions. After spending a few minutes walking around the fountain, and enjoying the ducks on the lake nearby, I turned towards Kensington Garden and began a long stroll towards the Palace. Kensington Garden has lots of unique monuments and several playgrounds. I eventually wandered into a flower garden and noticed a small crowd gathered around something. From my vantage point I could not tell what was causing the commotion, nor what the people were saying as there were several languages being spoken, none of which was any form of English. The object of their attention suddenly darted out between the onlookers and into the grass behind the fence. No joke, it was a squirrel! Squirrels are not common here in England. In fact, red squirrels and deer are protected here!

  

                                                                                                                                                

This little guy is munching on a peanut handed to him by one of the visitors, right next to the sign that says "Don't feed the squirrels!". I guess their excuse might be that they don't understand English??!!! I managed not to laugh over their excitement at seeing a squirrel, and went on down the path past some beautiful spring flowers. Finally I left the garden and emerged in front of Kensington Palace. 

Kensington Palace was the home of Queen Victoria, and also the home of Princess Diana following her split with Prince Charles. There are several wonderful exhibits inside which tell the stories of some of Britain's monarchs, including Queen Victoria. There is one exhibit about Princess Diana that includes several of her dresses along with the fashion designer's sketches and also some photos of Diana with Prince William and Prince Harry when they were little. 

This is the Queen Victoria Fountain with Kensington Palace in the background.

This beautiful spring flower garden is at the palace itself, while the pond in the distance is in Kensington Garden. You can't see it, but there is actually a palm tree growing just out of the picture here.

Most of us will remember the pictures of the outpouring of flowers, candles, stuffed bears, signs, etc. that were stacked against and around these gates when Princess Diana passed away following a car accident in Paris.

Well, I'll have to admit, I was a on a slight "overload" with all of the historical sightseeing. On Thursday I left the hotel armed with my umbrella and credit cards. It was raining again, making it a perfect day for shopping! I spent several hours roaming in and out of the shops near our hotel. Scott finished up his business and we were able to enjoy a yummy dinner at Bumbles, located just a stone's throw from Buckingham Palace. After dinner we went to see Wicked, which we both really enjoyed. It was a great way to spend our last night in London.