I have to say I thought this was a great bargain. The rooms were 145 pounds a night (October) and that was a pretty good price, especially for the terrific location -- close to the tube, a bus station at the corner, and right across the street from Hyde Park. We were within easy walking distance of good restaurants. The room was relatively small but the breakfast large and hearty -- enough to keep us going all day!
We stopped at a nearby shop and picked up a large sandwich to share, found a tree in Hyde Park and enjoyed a warm and sunny day!
A magpie (my first) was nearby, but left us in peace!
We continued our walk through the park, stopping first at the Italian Garden.
It was quite lovely, with beautiful statuary and ponds.
It all felt rather elegant and formal, but many were enjoying the lovely day with a sandwich or a book.
And we did see a wee bit of color!
I loved this grayish swan -- I'd never seen one like it before, though I would see others before our journey was done.
As we continued on we came to the Albert Memorial, facing the beautiful Royal Albert Hall.
The memorial was commissioned by Queen Victoria as a memorial to her husband, Prince Albert. It was opened in the summer of 1872.
The statuary around the edges represents Africa, Asia, the Americas and Europe.
It's quite large and rather impressive. A number of architects and sculptors were involved in the design and execution of the memorial.
And although it is simply a monument, nothing one can tour or interact with, it was still quite handsome and I was glad we saw it.
Then a quick rest by a charming garden area...
...and on to Kensington Palace, Queen Victoria's birthplace and home until she became Queen.
(Two sites with more of the interesting history of the memorial's design can be found here at Royal Parks and HERE at wikipedia.
Sharing this week with: Pink Saturday
39 comments:
Wonderful photos as always. Blogging them and your trip is like extending the fun of your travels, I'm sure. Makes me happy to see such beauty on a dreary winter day in Michigan.
Hi Jeanie: Your greyish swans are juvenile Mute Swans. They take a couple of years to attain adult plumage. I don't know whether you remember that old Danny Kaye song about the ugly duckling who got transformed into something splendid.....same thing here. Hyde Park is a wonderful spot to visit, and I am always reminded of the speakers at Hyde Park corner and all the varied topics that were covered from impending Armageddon, to the rise of socialism, to being born again and really knowing for whom the bell tolled....and so on. It was always entertaining. And I have seen a few birds in there too! Glad that the Magpie came to keep you company.
That looks lovely! We stayed around a 10 min. walk from there on our last visit. As you say: nice neighborhood! Your photos are great.
best... mae at maefood.blogspot.com
The Albert Memorial is quite a sight to see.
Beautiful photos. The British swans are cygnets, the young swans. Glad you liked the breakfasts, too. Hugs, Valerie
What a nice little walk through one of my favourite parks!
The greyish swan is a rather large cygnet, reaching the stage when it's no longer a cygnet but a full grown swan. It's a strange name for a swan chick, isn't it? It sounds rather olde-worlde to me!
This hotel looks similar to one stayed at the last time I went to London. (I have been there twice but last time was 10 years ago) and the price sounds similar also, but we stayed up near St. Pancreas train station so we could walk to catch the Eurostar to Paris. I don't know if that is near Marble Arch or not because I can't remember how close the 2 are to each other. I know I did not see the ALbert Memorial however, which is pretty spectacular. I think I just need another trip back to finish what I started and didn't see in that great city. Thanks for all the fantastic places you have introduced me to. And happy weekend Jeanie. Hugs-Erika
All these glimpses from London are charming. I miss London so much :)
You had a really nice trip :)
Jeanie, I so enjoyed my walk in the park with you today! Love the photo of you two having your sandwich. It's been many years since we were in Hyde Park, but my memories are still quite fresh.
It's so nice that you share all this with us. What fun it is to see all these photos. Love the magpie. Glad he didn't abscond with your sandwich.
Hi Jeannie
Back from a rather long blog break! Happy New year!
I have yet to visit London, but this sounds like a hotel I would like if and when I do. This memorial to Prince Albert is magnificent! Queen Victoria left so many wonderful memorials to him in so many places--true love personified.
Great photos! The next best thing to being there myself. Thank you.
You are creating the most wonderful diary here in blogland of your trip. You have some wonderful pictures and I love the one of you under the tree sharing a meal.
Have a wonderful, blessed 2019. xo Diana
A day to remember!
The walk in the park, Albert Memorial, and you two having a sandwich under a tree - these are memorable moments. Your pictures do them justice.
Thanks for sharing.
I’m loving the series. Magpies should only swoop you in Spring when they’re protecting their babies. Here they are bigger, and everywhere. They came to town in bigger numbers during a bushfire and stayed. We have a bushfire NW of us now, in the forests. Cath
I love that you are sharing some of your trip with us. I think the photos you have posted here are amazingly beautiful! The magpie is such a beautiful bird.
JEANIE!!!!!!!!!!! Your share today is right up our alley as we peruse the likes of Downton Abbey once again on our binge watch! How fantastic to be in such an iconic place! I hope your travel plans for this year will be fantastic. Wow, it's been busy...I'm sitting at my computer and I saw that you came to my lonely blog! Thank you. Yes, I'm using my new camera, and though it may not look like it to most viewers, I can see and feel such a difference between this camera and my old one. I truly hope to develop superior photos, but January is a dull month around here.
HUGS and thanks for coming!
The hotel sure has an impressive view and so nice with the flowers, too!
Oh, I love magpies, such (mostly) cute and clever birds. The Italian garden looks really beautiful. The memorial is impressive and clever, he must´ve been a good husband ;-)
Ahhh, nice to see some green and flowers, here it´s just another grey day.
I love the look of your hotel..Always fun to look back on a trip..makes the trip last longer.Looks like it was wonderful!
Lovely! The hotel looks like a classic place and sounds like it was perfectly situated. I enjoyed the walk in the park! That memorial to Prince Albert is quite something! Are you allowed to tour inside the Royal Albert Hall? I especially enjoyed this since the my view outside is a drab gray winter day!
I've never been to Europe and have never seen a magpie. Such a pretty bird! Lovely post and photos today. Makes me feel like I've just taken a little trip. Thanks!
Oh the sites to see when traveling the world . . .
Charming place, 145 pound a night, for your stay . . .
Sandwich for two . . . loved the picture . . .
Looking forward to next pics, or have I already seen them??
So far behind in reading posts . . .
Sounds lovely.
Looks lovely. And. I'm impressed by the good weather. I had grey, rainy, cold days when I was there in May.
A hotel so close to Marble Arch is indeed a great location! And 145 pounds for that is really not much. I love Hyde Park, I was lucky enough (back in the 1970's) to once see someone voicing his thoughts at Speaker's Corner. Fabulous! Lovely swan - I'm sure you know that all swans in Britain (or is it just England?) are the property of the Queen and catching or even killing them is not a good idea.
Thanks for taking us along on your beautiful walk! :-)
I wrote a long comment and it disappeared due to a connection error.
I enjoyed your post very much. I don't have it in me to rewrite again. Hope you understand. Just know I enjoyed it.
I'm running SO far behind, but loved this. That memorial is incredible. I was so glad you shared it and the links, too, since I didn't realize I was looking at more than one sculpture till I saw them all. It's truly a wow factor and a beautiful post for a beautiful day.
My daughter and I were in London in Seot. I am working on my blog on London. I have so many pics. Our hotel was in walking distance to Kensington Palace.
Your photos are beautiful.
I'm anxious to see more.
Thelma.
What a beautiful place, Jeanie. That swan was so pretty. Looks like the weather was good. Great memories..xxoJudy
The hotel looks very pretty Jeanie and well located too.
I love Hyde Park, so pretty and the monument to Prince Albert is very grand.
We have lots of magpies in our area, they are such clever birds.
I suspect your swan is a juvenile. Our white ibis look much the same when young: mottled grayish-brown and white, until they mature into their lovely white plumage. On the other hand, the little blue heron starts out white, and often is confused with a snowy egret until it grows up. These birds -- so hard to figure out, sometimes.
It's nice to see green grass and pops of color. This is my least favorite time of year as everything is brown and colorless! Bleh!
Your hotel sounded like a great deal, especially with a heavy/hearty breakfast! Can't wait to see more pictures from your trip!
Jeanie, what a lovely walk that it was. The weather looked wonderful to enjoy a sandwich and a stroll! I am amazed at how much you were able to do, how long were you in London?
The front of your hotel looks very much like the hotel we stayed in. There are some quaint places around London. And picking up a sandwich and eating in the park sounds just perfect.
What a BIG place. Bet that was awesome to see. You have some great pics.
So glad to be back in London with you Jeanie! Walking around London is just the best!Hyde Park is our favorite London Park, for sentimental reasons, and we've always loved staying anywhere near there. We are really fond of the area around Kensington/South Kensington. St. James's Park is a close second favorite--so pretty. LOVE all your photos!! :))) ((HUGS))
You know how I love your travel posts, like returning to some of my favorite places. This is how we love to spend our days, walking and enjoying the scenery. We do this daylight to dark and sometimes into the evening as well. I love seeing your pics Jeanie. Your trip has me wanting to return to London!
Gorgeous pics!Thanks for sharing!
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