Hide in Hyde Park
Excerpt from the book On a Tall Budget and Short Attention Span from the Teresa the Traveler Series.
I needed a quiet relaxing day to absorb what I had just done and a visit to Hyde Park was just what the doctor order. The huge well-manicured green space is right in central London. Divided in two by the Serpentine (a man-made lake) and connected to Kensington Gardens, the two parks have an overall area larger than the principality of Monaco yet still smaller than New York’s Central Park.
The park has been the site for large concerts by big name performers such as Pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones, Shania Twain and Queen, and was also the location of the fight scene between Mark Darcy and Daniel Clever in the movie Bridget Jones, The Edge of Reason.
I entered through Queen Elizabeth Gate and followed Serpentine Road until I reached the lake where I noticed a large number of Muslim women wearing long black robes and hijab’s covering all but their eyes. They looked so out of place in the Western world that I was surprised to learn London is a popular summe retreat for wealthy Arabs.
Speakers’ Corner
Next I walked past the bird sanctuary and made my way to the Speakers’ Corner – a place where anyone can go and speak to the public about anything (anything
lawful that is). In practice the police only intervene if they receive a complaint or when bad language is being used. Eddy Murphy would not last very long on the podium. Many famous people have delivered speeches at this corner including: Karl Marx, Vladimir Lenin, George Orwell and William Morris. In the late 19th century it was one of the few places where socialists could have debates and to this day it remains a site for public speeches and protests.
I needed a quiet relaxing day to absorb what I had just done and a visit to Hyde Park was just what the doctor order. The huge well-manicured green space is right in central London. Divided in two by the Serpentine (a man-made lake) and connected to Kensington Gardens, the two parks have an overall area larger than the principality of Monaco yet still smaller than New York’s Central Park.
The park has been the site for large concerts by big name performers such as Pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones, Shania Twain and Queen, and was also the location of the fight scene between Mark Darcy and Daniel Clever in the movie Bridget Jones, The Edge of Reason.
I entered through Queen Elizabeth Gate and followed Serpentine Road until I reached the lake where I noticed a large number of Muslim women wearing long black robes and hijab’s covering all but their eyes. They looked so out of place in the Western world that I was surprised to learn London is a popular summe retreat for wealthy Arabs.
Speakers’ Corner
Next I walked past the bird sanctuary and made my way to the Speakers’ Corner – a place where anyone can go and speak to the public about anything (anything
lawful that is). In practice the police only intervene if they receive a complaint or when bad language is being used. Eddy Murphy would not last very long on the podium. Many famous people have delivered speeches at this corner including: Karl Marx, Vladimir Lenin, George Orwell and William Morris. In the late 19th century it was one of the few places where socialists could have debates and to this day it remains a site for public speeches and protests.
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Tyburn Gallows
Just behind Speaker’s Corner at Marble Arch was a stone marking the site of the Tyburn Tree where public executions took place until the 18th century. In 1571 a horizontal wooden triangle with three legs nicknamed the“Tyburn Tree” was erected so multiple prisoners could be hung at once. The tree stood in the middle of the roadway serving as a warning to people of what could happen if they broke the law. Crimes punishable by hanging back in those days would not even put people behind bars today. The first person executed at the site was William Osbern, who led the London Tax Riots and the first person to hang on the Tyburn Tree was John Story, a Roman Catholic who committed the unthinkable crime of refusing to recognize Queen Elizabeth I. The executions were a form of entertainment drawing thousands to the park where the condemned were expected to put on a good show as they were transported via an open ox-cart from Newgate Prison wearing their finest clothes. Spectators would cheer them on wishing them a “good dying” and heckle them for showing any display of weakness. On November 3rd 1783, a highwayman named John Austin was the last person to hang from the gallows. What is a highwayman you ask? It is a thief who rides a horse and preys on travelers. Thieves who robbed on foot were called footpads. Princess Diana Memorial Fountain Next I made my way over to the Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain located by the Serpentine just off Rotten Row. It was not the traditional fountain I had expected rather it was a large circular structure running through a grassy area with the purpose of creating a space for people of all ages to enjoy. Water flowed through a shallow trough providing a cool place for children to play on a hot summer’s day. It was as unique like the Princess. I can still remember exactly where I was when I heard the tragic news of her death. Some friends and I were on our way home from a night of debauchery in downtown Calgary when our cab driver blurted out, “what a shame about the Princess”. We had no idea what he was talking about until we walked into the house and saw my roommate glued to the television watching the news. My eyes flooded with tears when I saw the scene of the car crash and heard the reporter announce that Princess Diana had been in the car. I felt as though I had lost a friend as Princess Diana was one of my role models. Not only was she beautiful and glamorous, she used her influence to make the world a better place by supporting such worthy charities as the International Campaign to Ban Landmines and AIDS Awareness. At a time when Royals wore white cotton gloves while shaking hands, Diana refused to cover her hands as she held the hand of a dying AIDS patient. Such a public gesture by a high-profile person was unheard of in 1987 when the AIDS virus was spreading fear throughout the world. She was quoted as saying “HIV does not make people dangerous to know, so you can shake their hands and give them a hug: Heaven knows they need it”. She was also photographed walking through an Angolan landmine wearing a flak jacket and face shield in an effort to bring public attention to the issue of landmines – which were responsible for the countless deaths of innocent people and animals. By the time Prince Charles reached his early thirties his family and advisors began to pressure him to find a wife and produce an heir to the throne. He was expected to marry a virgin with a royal or aristocratic background who was a member of the Church of England Talk about a tall order to fill but the prince delivered and on February 24th 1981 he gave 20-year old Diana a £30,000 diamond and sapphire engagement ring. The couple married a few months later on July 29th 1981 at St Paul’s Cathedral in front of a worldwide TV audience of 750 million. Unfortunately the fairy tale wedding did not produce a fairy tale marriage. Prince Charles eventually resumed his pre-marital relationship with Camilla Parker-Bowles (who he later married) and the couple got divorced in 1993 with the Princess retaining her apartment in Kensington Palace and receiving a £17,000,000 divorce settlement along with a legal order forbidding her to discuss the details. Diana went on to date a heart surgeon from Pakistan before starting her ill-fated relationship with movie producer Dodi Al-Fayed, the son of the Egyptian billionaire Mohammed Al-Fayed who owned a chain of British department stores called Harrods. Diana’s life came to an untimely end when she and Dodi died in a car crash in the Pont de l’Alma road tunnel in Paris on August 31st 1997 while being chased by reporters. She was buried within the Spencer family grounds holding the set of rosary beads given to her by Mother Teresa who had died that same week. |
For tips on visiting England CLICK HERE
For tips on visiting Europe CLICK HERE For general travel tips on what to pack and how to plan ahead CLICK HERE For tips on travelling on a budget CLICK HERE |
The Princess Diana Memorial Fountain in Hyde Park
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Where I Stayed...
Easton Hotel 36-40 Belgrave Road, Victoria London, England Tel: 020 7834 5938 Fax: 020 7976 6560 hoteleaston@aol.com 
To book this hotel CLICK HERE
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How to Get There: Fly into Heathrow Airport and take the train into London
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