Hyde Park

We arrived in London on Christmas afternoon and our hotel was right nearby. Everything else was closed so we decided to take a walk in the afternoon in Hyde Park, all the way to the Albert Memorial. The park was nice, very reminiscent of its New York counterpart, Central Park. But by the time we reached the Albert Memorial, the sun was setting (around 4 pm) and we started heading back the other direction towards our hotel. By the time we reached one of the north gates, it was LOCKED! We searched for another exit and it too was LOCKED! We didn't have a choice but climb over the tall fencing. Felt like we were breaking out of a prison. Definitely an interesting visit to Hyde Park on Christmas afternoon.

Moral of the story: get out of the park before it closes (check the closing times), or you'll be trapped inside like we were.

While not a must-see for tourists, Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens are absolutely beautiful and worth your time if you have more than few days to spend in the beautiful city of London.

After spending our first full day in London sightseeing (walking from Oxford street, over to picadilly, on the tube to the London Eye, over the bridge to Big Ben and Westminster Abbey, back to Harrods, then over to Hyde Park for a break.) We found a Bench along the water and sat for an hour or so. Beautiful place to relax and let the mind unwind. If you like to people watch there is plenty of that to do as well. Also if you enjoy birds there are plenty of them too. I also found the riding trail inside the park very neat, people riding there horses in the middle of London. If you get up early enough you can see the Queens mounted Police taking there horses for a ride. A much needed break in the middle of London.