Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens, and Harrods
- Kaitlen Elaine
- Sep 10, 2022
- 5 min read
Updated: Oct 12, 2022
Waking up in a new bed and a new city feels so refreshing sometimes, like a revitalizing new start to a new day with the anticipation for new adventures. This morning, the sun poured in through my hotel room window and onto my bed properly waking me up. I didn't feel the slightest bit of jet lag—thankfully—and started my day off with a coffee from Sheila's Café (which was roughly a 10 minute walk from the Grand Royale hotel). A lovely little gem hidden away, but still rather easy to find!
The reviews that I read while I was walking to Sheila's Café did not disappoint— this place offered the ultimate authentic English breakfast and all of their menu items looked delicious! It was such a cute and cozy café and my cappuccino was hands down one of the absolute best cappuccinos I have ever had (I mean—just look at it). This café also seemed to be a local favorite and rather busy!
On the agenda for today: visit Kensington Gardens, take a stroll in Hyde Park and eat some lunch, and then shop at Harrods (and if you do not know what Harrods is, well, I am sorry for you—but also, just keep reading and you'll soon find out).
I walked over to Hyde Park after finishing my coffee to read my book on a quiet park bench for a few hours. It was a beautiful day, perfect for relaxing in the sunlight that peaked through the foliage in the park while I perused Virginia Woolf’s poetic literature.
September 6th was ‘National Read a Book Day,’ so I decided to celebrate by reading Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf, which is quite fitting considering Woolf began writing Mrs. Dalloway in Sussex and finished in London in 1924. I find it rather intriguing to be reading British Literature in the heart of Britain (especially when I can go visit some of the locations that are mentioned—making the story feel that much more tangible and real).
Lunch hour is the best hour when you're in London! Being in Hyde Park allowed me to wander over to 'The Magazine' restaurant that is located right between Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens, which is separated by the Serpentine Bridge and West Carriage Drive. Not only did the reviews and food look amazing online, but the aesthetic of the restaurant's architecture is breathtaking in person. From the outside this building looks like a futuristic mushroom (I think that's the word I am looking for—or rather a marquee if that paints a better picture); however, the inside has stunning white pillars and windows all around giving the restaurant an airy feeling. I ordered some avocado toast and—again, just look at the photo— it was heavenly.
As you might be able to tell, I enjoy trying new foods and experiencing new places that are different and interesting to me. My strategy to finding enticing restaurants in a new city (if you don't have access to someone who already knows the best places) is to get on Yelp, or any crowd-sourced reviewing applications for that matter, and search for restaurants near you that look like local favorites—because locals know best. You can usually tell when a restaurant is a local favorite by the way the reviews are worded. For example, if someone writes that they visit this specific restaurant with their husband every other Friday night then you know you've found the place that you're looking for. The way I see it, when it comes to Yelp or Google reviews, people aren't going to take the time out of their day to lie about a restaurant. There are three categories of reviewers: the satisfied customer, the dissatisfied customer, or the local who wants to put in their two cents.
My favorite thing about Kensington Gardens is the tranquility it provides (and it is one of my favorite places to walk around and people watch). The gardens, which were opened in 1841, are a perfect place to just relax and unwind, especially after a previous long day of travels. It's also the perfect place to experience London's heritage through the many historical statues, memorials and architecture.
When visiting Kensington Gardens, you'll see Kensington Palace (where Princess Margaret and Princess Diana resided), the Serpentine Gallery, the Princess Diana Memorial, the Peter Pan statue, the Queen Victoria statue, the Italian gardens (which were designed in 1860 as a gift from Prince Albert to his wife, Queen Victoria) and the beautiful Orangery in the Kensington Palace Pavilion, which is basically a beautiful greenhouse where you can enjoy a nice cup of English tea!
The Kensington Palace Pavilion overlooks the sunken gardens, which was planted in 1908 and terraced with beautiful flower beds, giving the Orangery a stunning view during tea time!
Where do I ever begin to start when describing Harrods? Harrods is a basically a very large, very popular (kind of like Macy's in New York City) and very famous department store located on Brompton Road in Knightsbridge, London. The store, which was built in the 1800s, has breathtaking architecture ranging from Egyptian designs to Art Nouveau windows and a baroque-style dome. The moment you walk the building you get bombarded by the smell of luxurious perfume and colognes. In my opinion, visiting just to window shop and experience the ambiance is good enough for me—it's actually really fun just to walk around the floors to imagine what I could buy if money wasn't an option.
It takes a few hours to have a proper look around, but even just looking around the ground floor you can browse a wide variety of products, such as designer high-end handbags, jewelry, make-up, clothing and a stunning food hall with amazing chocolate shops! I would recommend getting something from the food hall and walking over to Hyde Park for a picnic—weather permitting.
One of my favorite things about Harrods is visiting in the winter! During the holiday seasons, the store is transformed into a winter wonderland! The windows get decorated in festive Christmas themes, massive amounts of Christmas trees, decorations and lights accessorize the building and customers have the option to visit with Santa Claus!
Below I have linked the Harrods website, if you're interested in exploring the store:
Kensington is one of the prettiest neighborhoods in central London and you can easily spend the whole day here! Regardless of what you enjoy doing—trying local cafés, shopping, exploring parks and gardens, viewing historical monuments and architecture, etc., there is something for everyone! There are tons of museums, such as the Science Museum, Natural History Museum, and Victoria and Albert Museum, in the area, as well as Buckingham Palace and Green Park in Westminster.
Currently in Green Park and near Buckingham Palace, there is a massive tribute to Queen Elizabeth II after her September 8th death. Visitors from all over the world are leaving a sea of bouquets of flowers, handwritten notes, photos and sentimental Paddington Bear toys. Regardless of how you feel about the monarchy, the floral tribute is a genuinely heart-warming sight. It's incredible seeing a community come together to pay respects to Queen Elizabeth II.
Below is a charming video of The Queen and Paddington Bear from The Platinum Jubilee in 2022, which was an international celebration marking the 70th anniversary of the accession of Queen Elizabeth II:
Did anyone else read a book for National Read a Book Day? If so, what did you read?
Comment below!
Thanks for posting the video. It's a lovely way of commemorating Queen Elizabeth.