Hyde Park Walk

London Walks II: Hyde Park Walk
 First of all, this is so beautiful. I cannot believe that this is on my doorstep.

This is Marble Arch. This has been moved around the city a little bit. Notice how the doors are shut? Only select few (like members of the royal family etc) are allowed to cross under it. Also, right close to here was where they would kill people ... grotesquely. Like, hey let's tie a horse to each of your limbs and run them in different directions. Ouch.

This is me (in the cute hat from my mother) in front of the Triumphal Arch that is in honor of the Duke of Wellington's victory at Waterloo. He is a huge deal in England. I'm thinking it's like, for us Americans, George Washington status. It is huge and so neat-o. See Victory on top? She's in being drawn behind four horses and has a torch in her hand. She's rad.

Duel photo! The statue kind of in the foreground is the statue of the Duke of Wellington. Across the street is the Apsley house. We went inside there earlier today. This house is so interesting. Basically, when the good Old Duke took Napoleon down he took a ton of portraits from him and a statue of him etc etc and put them all in this house. It is a gorgeous house. I cannot get over standing inches away from a Velásquez or a Caravaggio and I think that I like that. It's incredible. My words are insufficient.

We were on the Diana Memorial Walk. So says the plaque. And it does a lovely lady justice. This walk was beautiful. Again, my words seem lame in comparison with the actual experience.

This is the Serpentine at sunset. I love all the swans in all of the lakes and ponds and rivers here. They come right up to you and they are beautiful. (To Annie: "Odette!!!!") This is the place where the first Mrs. Shelley drowned herself. The story goes that she found out that young Mary Goodwin (a teenager at the time) had a child by her husband so she loaded her pockets with rocks and drowned herself. How sad, huh?

What did I tell you? BEAUTIFUL doesn't cut it. I'm in love with this place.