Peaceful Travels ★: Exploring Kensington

Today was a fantastic day of exploring London! I started the day by visiting the Victoria and Albert Museum- the world's largest museum of decorative arts and design! There are four floors to the museum each holding a different time period, location, type of art, etc. There is everything: glass, textiles, costumes, ironwork, jewellery, furniture, architecture, and more. It is AMAZING. I could spend every day for weeks in there and still not see everything! It really is incredible and I would definitely call it a must-see if you are ever in London. My favorite section was the Renaissance/Medieval time period area on the 2nd floor. They have locations including: South Asia, China, Japan, Middle East, and more. I have truly never seen anything like it- even the bathrooms and staircases were works of art. They have a new exhibition on Yohji Yamamoto and his fashion showcased (he is an internationally known Japanese fashion designer). I don't even think I can put how wonderful this museum is into words- but you should experience it for yourself!

Next, following a walking tour from the guidebook my mom got me, I stopped to see the Brompton Oratory- but I didn't go inside! It is very pretty from the outside- a Roman Catholic church and the inside is styled as the Italian Renaissance architecture. I kept walking and passed Harrods (quickly- because they've had bomb threats!) and went into a couple of shops- such as Zara- which is where I got my absolute favorite sweaters when I was in London last time- and let me tell you it was VERY hard not to buy anything! Then, I started seeing signs for Hyde park and so I decided to take a walk around there! What I thought would take a few minutes turned into hours- that place is HUGE! I saw the signature serpentine water and the Serpentine Bridge. There were hundreds of people relaxing by the water, walking around, sitting in the grass. There was the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain and Playground as well! Right before I reached the bridge, I stopped at a small little hut and ordered a Nutella and banana crepe and it was HEAVEN. It was seriously absolutely delicious. I sat under a tree in Hyde Park, read some Water for Elephants, and ate my crepe- it was fantastic! Once I had about the seventh spider climb onto me, I decided this probably wasn't the best location though!

Connected to Hyde Park, but technically separate are Kensington Gardens. I loved walking around here! First I found the Italian Garden Fountains which were breathtaking! I was extremely excited when I found this because I had been roaming around for what seemed like forever, while seeing absolutely nothing! I had been looking for the Peter Pan statue for a long time and I finally found a sign near the fountains so that was great too! I walked to find the statue and when I finally spotted it I almost jumped for joy! I had to wait for like 15 minutes though for children and families to stop taking pictures in front of it so that I could snap a picture! I love Peter Pan- the boy who would not grow up! We have a lot in common, eh? Then I left in search of the Albert Memorial and on the way it was a beautiful walk and I passed many statues and memorials and it was very interesting. The Albert Memorial was commissioned by Queen Victoria in memory of her late husband and it is a sight to see- it took over ten years to complete! It is located directly across the street from Royal Albert Hall- opened for tours and shows! It was originally only supposed to be called The Central Hall of Arts and Sciences but Queen Victoria added the Royal Albert to beginning, in love for her husband.

Last for the day, I decided to walk all the way back across the Kensington Gardens to find the Kensington Palace- where Princess Diana had lived. When I finally found it, however, I saw that it was getting renovated until 2012 but they had an Enchanted Palace exhibit open and, obviously, I had to go! For some reason, none of the pictures of the palace uploaded properly- which is sad- but it is beautiful! You aren't allowed to take pictures inside anyways- so you aren't missing much! Anyways- for the exhibit- parts of the palace are basically set up as a story-telling haunted house with clues and history- and the mission is to discovered the "seven princesses," using a map and clues. It was amazing! Every room was set up as a different story and certain rooms had clues as to the different princesses. The details were incredible- there were so many tiny details that would have taken an incredibly long time. In each room, there was a poem in a book that told the story of each individual princess, ending with Princess Diana and a beautiful gown that she wore. It was a really interesting way to learn history and at the end they explained all of the rooms and what they really meant to the princess. And this was all inside of a real palace! This was one of my favorite things I have ever done! I still have my secret maps and clues and history lessons if anyone is interested! Now, for some reason fireworks are going on outside which is exciting, and then I am off to bed! Xxxxx