A Stroll Through the Gardens

Today we took a nice long walk through the beautifully manicured gardens of Regent's Park, including Queen Mary's Gardens.  Almost immediately upon entering the park, the noise of the city disappears.  The 400 plus acre park is a thoroughfare for business people, athletes, visitors, and those seeking more leisurely activities.  Students competed in track and field and took cricket lessons, while many others were strolling with their dogs; terriers and labs seem to be popular breeds with Londoners.  

Like the many other parks and squares in London, the grounds are immaculate.  The rose beds in Queen Mary's Gardens alone would take a small army of workers to maintain.  Every bed of roses has a unique name, and although I wanted to believe that each name had some regal history, "Sexy Rexy" seemed to debunk that theory.  The Gardens contain some 30,000 roses in over 400 varieties (www.royalparks.org.uk/parks).   

A nice breeze allowed for some afternoon kite flying on top of Primrose Hill, looking out over London. The crosswalk in front of Abbey Road studios, which the Beatles made famous, was the final stop of the day.  Although the studio itself is under repair, the wall in front is an everchanging memorial to the Fab Four as visitors leave messages and signatures.  This type of crosswalk is known in London as a "zebra" crossing, meaning that traffic must stop for pedestrians.  Therefore, visitors have a chance to replicate that famous album cover.  Actually, you didn't even need to be with our group today to see it for yourself.  That's right...there is an Abbey Road live webcam...

http://www.abbeyroad.com/visit/