We began our walk strolling through embassy row to get to Kensington Palace and the gardens that surround it. I have been to see the palace once before doing this walk so it was fun to get the background and details from the walks book and learn about the history behind this beautiful location. This historical background was started immediately when I read that the statue of the man behind the gate, was in fact, William III who was the first ruler to live within Kensington Palace. I was aware during my first visit that Queen Victoria is the statue that sits in front of the visitors’ entrance, but it is amazing to me that her daughter created the statue for her.
The sunken gardens are among one of the most gorgeous places I have seen so far in London. I am not a big fan of the color red, but even still the flowers and greenery is strikingly beautiful and held my attention for quite a long time. I was excited to see the Orangery close by because this is where we have heard that high tea is served. I am glad I was able to choose this walk as one of the last three so that I could see the Orangery so I will know my way when I plan to have High Tea.
The Flower walk was very beautiful. It is so great that they take such good care of these gardens. Nothing was over grown or out of place. Everything in the Flower walk fit together like a perfect puzzle. The squirrels in there have no fear at all! One squirrel ran straight up to us and when Lauren bent over to take a closer look it seemed like the squirrel was going to jump right into her lap. Luckily there were not very many birds with in this part of the walk because there are not very many things that I despise more than birds!
The Prince Albert memorial is one of the most decadent and interesting memorials I have ever seen. The detail on the four corners of the memorial that represent the four corners of the earth are very well done and it is obvious that a ton of time and effort was put into this memorial for Albert. I have loved seeing the gold accents on all the design and statues in London, but this one definitely takes the cake for the most awesome. Along with gold dispersed throughout the memorial, the most amazing is the golden statue of Albert at the focal point. It really honors him in the most fancy of ways.
The Serpentine that we walked along is a beautiful water feature but the most beautiful part, in my opinion, is the Italian Gardens. It’s easy to see that it is a popular spot to sit and chat or enjoy your lunch. I paused and took a few pictures and overheard two older women discussing that they had been coming to the Italian Gardens every week for the past 5 years. This shows the deep history that is entwined within Kensington Gardens and its visitors.
The last leg of this walk I really enjoyed because it included a park that was made in memory of Princess Diana and her love for children. I have researched a lot on Princess Diana and had already read a lot about her love for little kids. This expanded my interest in her and I hope to learn more about her as time goes on while I am here in London. I tried to imagine her within Kensington Gardens exploring with her young children and I know that these gardens definitely live up to her standards.
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| Sunken Gardens |
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| Queen Victoria in front of Kensington Palace |
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| View from in front of Kensington Palace |
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| Prince Albert Memorial |
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| Gate at Kensington |
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| Royal Albert Hall (across from Albert Memorial) |
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