Monday, May 11, 2015

Kensington Palace, Hyde Park, & Piccadilly Circus

We spent a lovely afternoon at Kensington Palace and Hyde Park following our visit to the Tower of London. Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens are breathtakingly beautiful and the palace tour is interesting. Because it is still a royal residence the areas that tourists can visit is quite limited but we saw a large exhibit featuring Queen Victoria and now I am anxious to read more about her. We also saw an exhibit featuring the dresses of Queen Elizabeth, Princess Margaret, and Princess Diana. Additionally the Kings Gallery was open to the public.
The blessing dress worn by Prince George. 
Very cute picture of the Cambridge family. The whole time we were touring the palace, I kept hoping we'd get word the Royal Baby being born. No such luck. Her due date was while we were in town. 
A beautiful picture of Princess Margaret when she was young. 
Left: I also loved this picture of Princess Diana.  Right: The stairwell leading to the central part of the palace.
Albert's straight razor and shaving brush. My husband loves a good straight razor so I always try to take pictures for him. 
Left: Albert's favorite picture of Victoria. 
Blurry but a picture of the cradle used by the nine children of Victoria and Albert.
Left: Dress worn by Queen Elizabeth. Right: Dress worn by Princess Diana. 
Beautiful Kensington Gardens. 
The Peter Pan Statue in Hyde Park. The statue was secretly placed in the park during the night and on May 1st, 1912 JM Barrie put an advertisement into the paper announcing the gift. 
The Albert Memorial. Queen Victoria was so devastated by Albert's death that she went into mourning for 40 years. 
We spent our evening shopping and dining in Piccadilly Circus. I had fish and chips and some delicious mashed peas. They were very garlicky and spicy and I cannot wait to recreate the dish at home. My favorite stores there were Hamley's, Cool Brittania (total tourist trap), the Liberty of London store--the stuff inside was so beautiful...and pricey. The interior is made out of the hull of a ship. 
Ever since I lived in Washington, D.C. I have loved a good subway picture. 

Beautiful South Kensington at night. 
Here are a few of my sister's pictures:
The central stairwell in Kensington Palace.
 Queen Victoria's Coronation Dress
 The room where Queen Victoria held her first meeting as Queen.
 Wedding clothes of Victoria and Albert. I loved this room because it featured their love story which was really sweet.
 Toys belonging to Queen Victoria when she was a child.
 Dresses worn by Princess Margaret.
 Interior rooms at Kensington.
Hyde Park
 We spent our evening shopping and dining in Piccadilly Circus.
 Handmade Scotch Eggs with HP Sauce, and Chips covered in gravy.

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