Kensington Palace was William and Mary's London home, which is surrounded by the beautiful Kensington Gardens. It is 275 acres of magnificent trees and ornamental flower beds, much like other gardens we have seen. Our walk in this park was filled with ducks, geese, coots, gallinules, herons....and other people enjoying it as much as I was. It was fantastic. We visited a memorial to Princess Di, and the fountains where we took lots of pictures showing reflections in the water (since that was our focus for today). 
Surprising things happen in a park. One of my most favorite things in this park was the statue of Peter Pan! The statue was erected in secret during the night and 'magically' appeared on May 1, 1912. This announcement was in The Times that morning:
"There is a surprise in store for the children who go to Kensington Gardens to feed the ducks in the Serpentine this morning. Down by the little bay on the south-western side of the tail of the Serpentine they will find a May-day gift by Mr. J.M. Barrie, a figure of Peter Pan blowing his pipe on the stump of a tree, with fairies and mice and squirrels all around. It is the work of Sir George Frampton, and the bronze figure of the boy who would never grow up is delightfully conceived."
We ate lunch at the Hard Rock - London. T-shirts were $35 so I passed. Back in the day those t's were the thing to have. I decided I'd rather spend my limited funds in Paris!
Shop till you drop at HARROD's! LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Harrod's! What a fantastic store! It is ornately decorated with works of art and chandeliers. They have everything from a snack shop to fine dining with a pianist.
From a bargain basement to a $250 D&G dress for a little girl...yes a LITTLE girl, like a size 2T! From a $5 plastic bag to a $3,000 Gucci bag (or more). From a candy shop to a coffee shop. From a tea shop to a wine shop. From fresh veges to cuts of meat. From breads to pastries (there's even a Krispie Kreme!). You can find EVERYTHING at Harrod's! LOVE IT! (Did I mention I love Harrod's?)
Two more items and then I must pack for Paris. I must post these two pictures simply because he's a cutie and this Rolls Royce from Kuwait caught my attention. We were walking by an International Hotel that caters to the wealthy. It was close by Harrods...obvious connection.
Well, three things. While in the garden, I had been watching three dogs at play. One in particular had been chasing a tennis ball into the Serpentine and then I noticed this sign, which I thought was amusing since Ted had been swimming for awhile. Here is my next picture after seeing the sign. There must have been more than a dozen dogs in this area at one time. Though not all went into the water, four more disobeyed the sign and jumped right in for a swim. Maybe they're struggling readers (or just little rebel rousers).
OKAY, OKAY, four things. This little boy was so cute. He would take one piece of cereal and feed it to the birds, then another, then another. The next he would feed to himself! He was so cute!
And finally, back at the flat, I made a connection. It seems one of the guys here at the Study Center is studying theater and music. He is from Austin, Texas, but has lived all over. He desparately wants to be an actor. His name is Robert Henry, which will be easy for me to remember since I went to school with a Bob Henry. When I asked him if he preferred comedy or drama, he responded, "I prefer whatever pays." CUTE SMILE! I told him I would look for his name in lights. (And if I see it, I'm going to call and say, Remember when..."!
Okay, that's plenty for now. It's the British Library tomorrow morning and the Eiffel Tower tomorrow evening! I'll be traveling on the high speed EuroStar through the channel tunnel, which runs under the English Channel. It runs at a speed of almost 200 mph. (And you guys think I drive fast!) I love Europe! (Transporting this heavy luggage ought to be a REAL treat! UGH!)
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