A Lesson in Humility

I again went to Kensington Gardens and then Hyde Park. I wish I had a pedometer so I'd know how many miles I walked. Given how my feet and ankles ache, I'd say it was a lot. Top on my list today was to see the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain. There are colorful signs all over the parks, which tell you where you are and where other things are. Though it seems easy to follow, in reality it wasn't. There were sign posts telling which way the fountain was, as well as signs in the sidewalk, but they also pointed out this was the Princess Diana Memorial Walkway and also there was a memorial playground. Every time I came to a new sign, I had somehow skirted around the memorial. Finally, I saw this huge monument rising into the distance.



It turned out to be the monument to Queen Victoria's beloved Albert. It had seemed rather too ornate for Princess Diana. Across from this monument is Royal Albert Hall. I still don't know how many holes it takes to fill it (obscure Beatles reference [the Beatles have been my background music since I got here]).



I sat in front of this for a while. There are many skaters as well as joggers, walkers, and bikers (everyone wears a helmet--I don't know if it's required or more of the British sensibleness); there were people actually giving skating lessons there, as well as a skating obstacle course. A group of men on elongated skates that looked like skis was making its way through the park, too. I kept walking.

There was some kind of show that had a good part of the park closed off. It seemed to have to do with aviation and was sponsored by Red Bull (figures). I asked one event attendant where the memorial fountain was, but she said she wasn't from around there and was just working the event. I started to wonder whether it was inside the enclosed area. I knew I was looking for a body of water that started as the Long River, went under the Serpentine Bridge, and then became the Serpentine River. After much more walking, I finally found that. I saw a smaller enclosed area off to my right with people walking inside it. Amazingly, it turned out to be what I was looking for. Given the other monuments in the city, I was looking for something that, if I had thought about it, would have been totally out of character for Diana. One could walk by this and not even notice it. It's a simple ellipse of constantly flowing water. The bed and "rapids" are made of a grey granite. The sign noted how it was built and the idea was to make something totally available to everyone, from every walk of life, without pomp and circumstance. They succeeded.





The fountain is beautifully simple and elegant, just like Diana. Young women in particular seem to like to sit on the edge and bathe their bare feet in it. The whole outer area that surrounds this site is set with beautiful flowers, especially roses. There is something very human about all of this.

After I left, I had no clear idea as to where I was or where my hotel was. I crossed the Serpentine Bridge, had an "aged cheddar cheese sandwich" from a cart nearby, and followed what I thought was a general direction that felt right. I also sat quite a lot. There were literally thousands of people in the parks. They were doing all sorts of activities or just enjoying the beautiful day. I think we are spoiled in Florida because we can go out every single day and enjoy nature. Many of us take it for granted. Not here. I love their exuberance. I was one of the few meanderers. Amazingly, I did eventually recognize where i was and eventually made it back to the hotel.

It seems like a wonderful time for a nap.