London, Mid-Week

When you finally stop walking, you do start to feel some immediate relief in your feet. But when you slump down in your seat and the weight comes off your ankles, there is residual throbbing that courses through. You can start to feel your pulse... in your feet. It's a strange, yet satisfying sensation.

We walked today. A lot. We keep remarking to one another that we must have done something to appease the Gods to deserve this weather. Since our arrival a scant 6 days ago we've been taking advantage of London in the fall sunshine. I hope I haven't jinxed us just by putting that in writing.

As we sat in the Earl of Lonsdale Pub on Portobello Road, we sipped our shared Pint of Samuel Smith's Extra Stout and came up with a few haiku to sum up the day:

sleeping in till eight
pint at pub in notting hill
perfect afternoon

Wimbledon tennis
shop. no museum nor tour
lucky sunny day

Stout! God's gift to us?
Diana, we salute thee.
To Hyde Park, we must.

Hyde Park

Jared said earlier that he now understands what John means when he says that he isn't really impressed with Stanley Park in Vancouver. It's not in the same league really. Both, of course, are gift to their respective cities. If Stanley Park and Hyde Park were to get into a fight, however, I would put my money on Hyde Park.

Before left Denver, we decided not to take along the guide book. This was both a good and a bad idea I suppose. On one hand we may be missing things that we "should" be seeing. True. But after almost a week in London, I would say the result has been overwhelmingly positive for a few reasons:

1. We've had only a few "must sees" of our own, probably fewer than we would have with a book. This has made the schedule much more relaxed.

2. We've been open to any suggestion from friends - be it betting on the Wimbledon Dog races, or visiting the Saatchi Gallery.

3. No set expectations means no disappointments (not that London could really disappoint).

One of the things I love best about Jared is his eagerness to research any topic that interests him. Case in point: The Diana Memorial fountain in Hyde Park. It's very unlike Jared to care at all about the Princess of Wales. At least he's never mentioned this interest to me previous to this trip, but I think it happened when walking by Buckingham Palace the other day when he began to inquire what I knew about the royal family. Needless to say the questioning was brief as I about as much as most of my fellow Americans. The only information I've gleaned has been from documentaries on A&E and Lifetime on the Dodi and Diana conspiracy and programs of the like. Oh, and of course the Helen Mirren film, The Queen is an invaluable resource. That was a good one.

It didn't end there, however. His curiosity was piqued. Later that evening, at John and Charlotte's local pub, the Earl of Spencer, Jared asked our two local hosts what they thought of Diana and the fact that there was a memorial built in honor of her life in Hyde park. Had they seen it? Not yet. Did they care to? Well, not more than seeing any other memorial for any other person. Charlotte went on to explain that the outpouring of grief for Diana was simply grotesque when she died. She was a mother, and yes it's sad she left her two sons behind, but perhaps it was all just a little too much. Her death did, after all, overshadow the death of Mother Teresa which happened the day before in Calcutta.

Well, Jared had to see this in order to gain a bit more understanding. So off we went.

It must be quite a popular memorial to visit. Signs directing you toward it pop up about every 50 feet or so along the multiple walking paths. The memorial itself is a circular fountain with water flowing from the top in both directions. A walking path both surrounds and dissects it. The design is meant to symbolize how accessible and open Diana was to the public during her life. Signs near the fountain encourage visitors to wade in the water. It's elegant. Understated. It is a place conducent to reflection and meditation... and picture taking. No, it really is lovely.

If nothing else, I found it thought provoking. Memorials are strange, aren't they? For us Diana's death is still fairly fresh in our minds, so it's easy to critique and come to conclusions about whether or not this memorial does her life justice, or whether it's too extravagant, or perhaps too unassuming. I mean, What about the Albert memorial just across Kensington Gardens? I found myself wondering what Londoners thought of it when first erected by Queen Victoria over one hundred years ago. Too extravagant? Too impersonal? A touching tribute?

And that's when I came to the conclusion that travel is the best kind of education and a very good investment. It feels great to be inspired by visiting these places. I'm not surprised that I'm enjoying being out from behind my desk at my computer and instead spending days walking and exploring a world class city. I knew it would feel great. The only problem is that I know I'd like to do this forever. We've just got to come up with a way to make that happen...

- Steph