Bye-bye Cotswolds, and the countryside, and hello London and the crowded modern world of a big city. Once we had arrived, we checked in, and then walked a few miles over to Holland Park. I simply looked at a map of London, and picked a new direction to go. Neither of us had ever visited Holland Park before, and we liked it. The kids are out of school now after the bank holiday, and the park was well attended. The peacock at the Kyoto garden was a big hit with the kids of every age. Holland Park is a great city park, it has variety, wide lanes, long promenades, playgrounds, and the popular café. Everyone was happy there.
We walked back to our room and shopped for dinner on the way.
Tomorrow, we might be taking another train somewhere....
She said:
This morning
we left the countryside and took a relaxing train from Charlbury station to
London. Bittersweet leaving the
countryside: on the one hand, very nice to not have to walk 7-10 miles a day, day
after day after day; on the other hand, the peacefulness of the countryside, the
birdsong, the freedom of walking, the smallness
and manageable scale of everything – well, that will be hard to do without!
We are
staying again at the excellent Crown Plaza Hotel Kensington, well located on
the Cromwell Road in Kensington. A tube
station around the corner, Waitrose (grocery store) across the street, and Hyde
Park and the V&A within easy walking distance. (Full breakfast and hosted Happy Hour also
included!)
We settled
in, then set out for Holland Park, a park we had not yet explored in
London. The day was pleasant and the
walk easy. Kensington is a relatively
posh area, so the shops and the neighborhood houses and apartments are well-kept
and lovely – pretty window boxes and front gardens.
And, at
least one very good wine shop, run by a French guy who really knows his
stuff. I walked out with an excellent
bottle of Saint-Veran Bourgogne Chardonnay.
Heaven.
Holland Park
is a well-used park on the edge of Kensington.
We walked through the park towards the Kyoto Garden and were rewarded
with a piece of countryside peacefulness in the middle of London! OK, there were lots of people, but… the Kyoto
Garden, true to all Japanese gardens, offered a tranquility that could not be
ignored – even kids slowed down a bit. A
Japanese garden is quiet from every angle.
Wherever you look, there is a serene and calming view. Such a wonderful feeling, to walk in a
Japanese garden.
A noisy
peacock walked through the garden and created quite a photo op, but was soon
chased off by all the attention and the garden settled down again to quiet.
We walked back
to our hotel and popped into the Waitrose across the street. Truth be told, I have been dreaming of this
Waitrose supper for a few days now. We
have made a habit of it for the last several years: one half a perfectly rotisseried
chicken, sides of delectable Indian rice and vegetables, some sort of gooey
dessert (chocolate mousse cheesecake tonight) and my good French wine. Wow.
Our room is large and comfy, so we ate in, looking out at the city life
of Kensington.
Not a bad
way to start out in London.
As has
happened before, the conductor on our train today waved off our Brit Rail Pass
which means we have an extra free day of rail travel. We plan to visit Cambridge tomorrow on a day
trip.
Our favorite
SpringWatch show is on; we are full and happy and thankful for this wonderful
holiday.
Miles – 4 (approximate)
Photos:
In Burford
At the train station which also had a small garden
And on to London
Kyoto Gardens and Holland Park
Holland himself
Walking back on random quieter streets
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