I needed to get out of the house and away from my work computer for a while this afternoon, and I suspect that Jed wasn't too keen to watch me work either. As such, we walked out the door of the vicarage, headed to the nearest bus stop, and got on the first bus that came by. This was the 328, to Chelsea/World's End. Auspicious start, no?
Jed has been pretty psyched about the double-decker buses since our arrival, so I had been pretty excited to get him on one. And they are loads easier to handle with a kid and a stroller than New York City buses. No stairs to board, and no requirement to fold up your stroller. I did fold it up when we boarded though, since there was a luggage rack (!) available and two empty seats beside it.
I decided to get off at Notting Hill Gate, mostly because I wasn't sure what was at the World's End and how much longer the ride would be before the world would end. Though we had been on the bus for at least a half hour, Jed was irate with me for making him get off and get in the stroller. It worked out well for him, though, since the Notting Hill Gate area was crowded without much to see (at least, by the Tube stop), so we hotfooted it up Kensington Church Street in order to see a bit of the area before going to Kensington Gardens.
Pretty much the first thing we saw upon our arrival in the park was Kensington Palace. They have some sort of "seven enchanted princesses" exhibit/show/extravaganza on view there now, and it reeked of the American Girl Place experience to me. I'm not going without my cousin Lauren, or I won't be able to stomach it. Jed was properly enthralled with the historical statuary, and that's enough for me.
Jed Goes to Kensington Palace from Brooklyn to Britain on Vimeo.
From there, we went and checked out some sort of giant bird pond in the middle of the park. I know it has a name, and I could probably look it up on the internet, but "giant bird pond" works for me and I'm sticking with it. In New York, you've pretty much got pigeons, geese, and ducks, with the occasional seagulls or hawks; here, though, everything just seems a bit classier. Like the ducks are retreating to the corner of the pond for a pint and a pipe once the tourists go home. In the meantime, though, they are swarming on the banks of this pond and terrifying the heck out of me. Proof of terrifying numbers:
Hitchcockian Nightmare from Brooklyn to Britain on Vimeo.
Proof that Jed is not terrified:
Jed chases a white bird of some kind from Brooklyn to Britain on Vimeo.
Proof that I may be overly dramatic, since some of this was really nice:
Still, at this point, I am determined to bring us both to a child-safe part of the park. I am determined to bring us to the Diana, Princess of Wales', Memorial Playground.
I should admit that the only pang of emotion I feel upon seeing this sign is sympathy that she has been immortalized in a sleeveless denim shirt. Bummer.
Immediately upon arrival, it begins raining. And this is one important point about London weather so far (and it's only been a week, so take this with a grain of salt): rain can come and go in five minutes, without warning.
So the remarkable thing is that no one is leaving the playground. Parents and kids alike head for cover, to wait out the drizzle. And there are some pretty cool places at this park to wait out the rain.
It turns out that this is a classic British "adventure playground." It includes teepees (made by Wigwam Sam, according to the label)...
... remarkable wooden sheep...
Jed Pets the Wooden Sheep from Brooklyn to Britain on Vimeo.
...tunnels through bushes, hidden slides, and the coup de gras... A pirate ship.
Needless to say, Mom was thrilled with this park. Jed mostly played with the sand.
Love Jed's coat! Kudos to you for moving him away from the classy water fowl. I think geese are shifty regardless of their nationality. :)
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