With no football business to attend to, it was time to put on the hiking shoes and explore.
Today was all about the the heart and soul of Great Britain. The journey began down Park Lane at the east end of Hyde Park where you’re greeted by the Wellington Arch. From there, the impressive stroll down the tree-lined Constitution Hill took me to the front gate of Buckingham Palace.
A beautiful Saturday afternoon brought out thousands upon thousands of locals and tourists surrounding the Queen Victoria Memorial. It was amazing hearing so many different languages spoken and there had to be well over a million photos clicked on smart phones. Here’s one.
Through St. James Park to the Horse Guard grounds, past 10 Downing Street and then even more majestic architecture, Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament. It wouldn’t be a weekend at a government headquarters without a demonstration and there was a big one taking place. Protestors lined the entire block around Parliament, forming a human chain, demanding the release of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, being held in Belmarsh Prison trying to avoid extradition to the U.S.
Made my way to the River Thames for a few blocks along the bank, past New Scotland Yard and several more government buildings.
Came past Big Ben to tell me it was time to head back but I veered into massive Hyde Park first. The Serpentine was surrounded by families, walkers and joggers, with plenty of people on the water in the rented paddleboats.
I stopped by the impressively serene Princess Diana Memorial Fountain before crossing the West Carriage Drive bridge and headed back for home.
Throughout the journey, I saw only a smattering of folks wearing Packers or Giants gear, was expecting a few more but it was an exhausting and thoroughly enjoyable afternoon. Hope tomorrow’s game produces half as many sights as I took in today.
