After I recovered from my urban assault on the bike, I hopped on the tube and met up with a bunch of classmates at Hyde Park. We strolled along amongst the many Londoners who were out in full force enjoying a beautiful summer day. In preparation for this weekend’s Notting Hill Carnival, several steel drum bands were playing. Now these were not the Jamaican steel drum bands of 6 or so guys on different pitched drums I was picturing – they were 30 people strong, cross-generational groups playing seriously choreographed and synchronized numbers. It was pretty amazing.

--- one of the steel drum groups ---

We stopped at the Dell, a lakeside restaurant in the park with outside seating. It was the perfect day for sitting in the sun by the water. After awhile, I decided to walk around a bit and explore other areas of the park. I saw the Princess Diana memorial fountain and wandered along into Kensington Gardens, which is mostly contiguous with Hyde Park. I checked out the exhibits at Serpentine Gallery and then stumbled upon the Albert Memorial and took some pictures of that and the Royal Albert Hall – both very beautiful. I wandered along through the gardens and soaked in the peacefulness and romantic air of the area. Groups of friends with well-stocked picnic blankets and lovers coiled in the grass resting or reading littered the grounds. I headed back to the group and had some jerk chicken at the food vendors that had set up for the weekend’s festival. Although, my classmates geared up for (another) evening out of the town, my riding and walking had worn me out and I headed back to the flat for some sleep!

--- Prince Albert Memorial - from Kensington Gardens ---

--- Prince Albert Memorial - detail ---