Yesterday Darla and I spent an hour in Gordon Square; today our class lunched for 90 minutes in St. James Park. Visiting these parks, I couldn't help but notice how different these places are from the United States. For one thing, there are several squares within the city that most people cannot enter. These "private" parks require a key for entrance. Despite the exclusiveness of these areas, there are benches along the fence for passersby to rest upon. Yet why private parks?
In Gordon Square--the first public park Darla and I happened upon--I felt overawed by the tranquil surr
oundings. At home in Florida, parks usually bustle with activity. One might see kids playing soccer in a field or adults fishing. Frisbee golf is another popular activity. Primarily, however, one sees children running around on playground equipment with the parents nearby watching over them. Here, however, I noted mostly adults. Rather than engage in physical activity, these individuals seem to visit the park to relax. I saw many adults reclining on towels, with one or two reading books. Other adults I perceived sitting with their books on park benches.
These parks seem to be a place of refuge for Londoners, whereas Floridians seek them out for recreational activity. While we encountered a somewhat bustling atmosphere at St. James Park, I still found myself amazed at the number of people sprawled over the fields of grass. It's quite fascinating how the park can function as such an important place in both countries, but for such varying reasons.
In Gordon Square--the first public park Darla and I happened upon--I felt overawed by the tranquil surr
oundings. At home in Florida, parks usually bustle with activity. One might see kids playing soccer in a field or adults fishing. Frisbee golf is another popular activity. Primarily, however, one sees children running around on playground equipment with the parents nearby watching over them. Here, however, I noted mostly adults. Rather than engage in physical activity, these individuals seem to visit the park to relax. I saw many adults reclining on towels, with one or two reading books. Other adults I perceived sitting with their books on park benches.These parks seem to be a place of refuge for Londoners, whereas Floridians seek them out for recreational activity. While we encountered a somewhat bustling atmosphere at St. James Park, I still found myself amazed at the number of people sprawled over the fields of grass. It's quite fascinating how the park can function as such an important place in both countries, but for such varying reasons.
Crystal,
ReplyDeleteI'm really enjoying your blog. Your first impressions of London remind me of my first few weeks there. Don't forget to go to the Embankment tube station and then walk across the pedestrian bridge over the Thames to the South Bank. It is beautiful especially in early evening with St. Paul's Cathedral to the left and the Houses of Parliament on your right. The National Film Theatre has a reasonably priced cafe to get something to eat and it is lovely to walk along the South Bank. Also, if you want to explore an outer London suburb one evening, you could go to Richmond upon Thames on the district line and walk down to the river and have a drink at one of the Pubs overlooking the Thames. We used to eat at a pub called The Orange Tree opposite the tube station - their restaurant is in the basement. It is an interesting pub with a theatre on the top floor. I love Richmond as it gives you a flavor of how London is really a mixture of small villages which grew over the centuries into its present state of 7.7 million people. Enjoy!! Kay
Hi Kay,
ReplyDeleteSo good to "see" you! Thank you so much for the advice; we've visited the Thames as a class, but haven't walked across the bridge. Our days are so incredibly busy, but this sounds like a wonderful idea and I'll definitely keep it in mind.
London is wonderful!