VISIT HYDE PARK AND SAVE MONEY WHILE YOU ARE IN LONDON

Cherry Blossoms in Hyde Park, London

 Cherry Blossoms! One of the unexpected but surely welcome surprises in Hyde Park. I thought I would only get the chance to see this thing of beauty when you go to Japan :-). But, there it was for our eyes to feast on!

It was adventure mode on for my friend and I after purchasing the London Passes and Oyster Cards. 


We practically had the whole day to ourselves. We cannot go to my friend's flat yet where we are staying to deposit our luggage because she was not in London by the time we arrived. One itsy bitsy downside to staying with someone as a favor and not in a hotel where you can go and leave as you please : ).

With no better options available to us, my friend and I decided to pack courage together with our luggage and off we went to explore. We rode the Tube away from the airport towards Hyde Park, one place we can reach via the Tube and also familiar to me having read about it in magazines. 

Hyde Park is one of the largest parks in central London, famous for it's Speaker's corner. The park was the site of the Great Exhibition of 1851 and has become a traditional location for mass demonstrations. It also has been the venue for some famous rock concerts, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyde_Park,_London.

On our way to Hyde Park, the sight of the surroundings we passed through near the airport did not look so promising to me. There were a lot of old buildings made of brick that they looked desolate. It was like being transported to a twilight zone that I felt creepy.  But, the sights got better when we reached the station where we disembarked for Hyde Park.

The directions on the Tube map were clear and easy to understand that we were able to navigate our way without getting lost. 

Reaching our destination, we discovered that we had to ride a steep escalator upwards to exit the station. No problem with this except that we realized that we had to go down a flight of stairs towards the station when we ride the Tube again while lugging our big and heavy luggage behind us! We had a taste of how the Londoners travel. Londoners with their luggage big or small are a common sight in the Tube stations as it's their favorite mode of transport being cheap compared to riding the Black Cab.

Serenity and calm in Hyde Park, London

Serpentine, Hyde Park in London

               I wanted to bring this home with me. If only

               this would fit in the Tube : )

Hyde Park is huge and beautiful! Quiet, peaceful, almost serene you would never guess that only a stone's throw away is a bustling city with London's normal traffic. This quiet made the sound of our luggage being drawn on the paths distinctively heard. But mind you, nobody chided these two Pinays disrupting the peace : ). Although, my friend and I were teasing each other that we looked like the homeless people you see on television or the movies.

We found ourselves amid flowers with bold and vibrant colors in full bloom (being spring at that time) filling the air with their sweet fragrance. A wonderful opportunity to pause and enjoy deep inhales of nature : ).

When it's time for lunch, we head to the Serpentine where they serve a good array of delightful and filling soups and sandwiches and other food choices. I ordered a salmon and cream cheese sandwich to go with my soup. I enjoyed the soup but not so much the sandwich as my taste buds did not find the combination agreeable.

With our stomachs full and with time still in our hands,
we went into a store selling souvenirs where my friend immediately bought some magnets for her colleagues. There were also some souvenirs with the upcoming Olympic logos in the store which I seriously thought of buying then since the thought that we won't be going back to Hyde Park anymore scared me a tiny bit that those items will not be available in any other stores. But, after much thought, I let go and did not buy anything. This turned out to be a wise decision since those same items were available in a mall near the site of the London Summer Olympics and they were much cheaper there : ).

Having had our fill of Hyde Park and the afternoon getting late, my friend and I decided to go to East London and stay someplace there to wait for my friend with whom we are staying.

The trek towards the Tube station was not easy. Going down a flight of stairs and at the same time managing a big luggage was an adventure albeit, an unpleasant one by itself (to tell you the truth, I actually wanted to just throw my luggage and collect it when I reach the foot of the stairs being exasperated and exhausted by that time). Fortunately, an old British lady with a kind heart offered me a hand and helped in carrying my luggage down the stairs. Thinking about it now and imagining how we have looked then is almost comedic.

In East London, we landed in a fish and chips place. Fish and chips are really a popular snack in London. The customers, there were a lot of them, of the place came and go. Most of them took their fish and chips home with them just like how we Filipinos would come and go in the big hamburger chains at home and order our favorites to eat in or take out. Their fish and chips are wrapped in paper and vinegar is the usual condiment used to go with it. However, we didn't have the appetite for fish. We ordered chicken and chips instead. 

Thankfully, my friend with whom we were staying in ,finally arrived. She found these two Pinays already tired and restless and trembling in the cold. We were ready to call it a day but we discovered that we still had to walk quite a distance to her flat. 

Arriving at the flat, we immediately settled in. My friend was very kind to prepare dinner for us considering that she must also be tired coming from a trip herself. Filipinos are consistently hospitable and accommodating wherever they are in the world! Isn't this great? :-).

After relishing the dinner and getting a shower, we turned in and called it a day!

Tips:
1. Save money when you visit Hyde Park, one of London's major parks, as admission is free.

2. Window shopping in the shop in Hyde Park is recommended as the items in the shop are available in other shops e.g. at a department store in Westfield, where the items are cheaper for about GBP 2.00-4.00 or P136.00 - P272.00.