And Learn To Fly...

A summary of last night’s Hard Rock Calling at Hyde Park in tweets ( that I’d have tweeted if I could’ve used my phone…)

Guess who just got on the big screen during Punch Brothers?!?! #frontrowdanceparty!!

Question: How many arm tattoos can I get and still get hired by a library?

 

Alison Kraus: “You know him as the singing voice of George Clooney.” Guy next to me: “George Clooney is his body double.”

Sweet Home Alabama just came on… #weird.

Paul Simon. I love you.

Moving on...

Today, the group went to Kensington Gardens, which may have become my favorite spot in London. We started the morning at the Peter Pan themed Diana Memorial Playground. It was fantastic. For a half our every morning, the playground is open for adults and no children. So we got the playground all to ourselves! I loved it! For the record, Peter Pan is one of my very favorite stories and fictional characters. So playing around that playground was as if I’d actually been doused with pixie dust and flew over London to my own Neverland.

Needless to say, it was magical.

After the playground, we walked through the Gardens to the Peter Pan statue and the Diana Memorial Fountain, which also had no children around. Naturally, I took off my shoes and jumped around for a while. I figured, if I started the day acting like a child, might as well keep going.

photo by the lovely Bev Coe

After a rather cold picnic lunch, we walked over to Kensington Palace. My mom and I went through Kensington Palace a few weeks ago, but I was really excited to go back. The exhibitions are incredible. Their use of modern art to tell historical narrative blows my mind. I could go back tomorrow and be just as amazed.

Another special thing happened at the Palace, too. A few of us found a table with a deck of cards in the king’s quarters and decided to play a round. As we took our seats, a dashing young courtier sat down and said, “What are we playing ladies?”

“Go Fish,” Emily quickly replied. And what followed was a priceless game of Go Fish with a charming and, yes, flirtatious British gentlemen. And let me just take a moment to let you all know that when you’re on a trip with all women and you haven’t had real conversation with a man in going on 4 weeks, a game of Go Fish is all you need to put your flirt face on.

Richard at Kensington Palace, I thank you.

After our time in the Palace, we all went over to High Tea at the Orangery. It was super fancy and we all felt a little dainty, pouring tea (well, I had coffee) and eating fancy little sweets. I think that’s the quietest the 13 of us have been the entire trip! It was really great.

So after spending all morning and afternoon at Kensington Gardens, one might think it would be enough… But… Katie and I also spent our evening there, too.

We just got back from seeing The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, which is being performed in a giant, round theatre right beside Kensington Palace. And it was incredible. Besides the fact that I already love the story more than I can put into words, the presentation of it tonight was so beautiful. From the costumes to the staging to the actors themselves. Everything was just fantastic.

So, yes. Kensington Gardens has become my favorite place in London. And if you need to know more about it, you know what you should do???

Watch this digital story I’ve created about my (last Friday) afternoon in Kensington Gardens!!!