Hyde and Seek

Edelweiss, Edelweiss
Every morning you greet me 

            While everyone else went to a production of Waiting for Godot with a talkback with the actors; along with a tour of Hampton Court and Westminster Abbey (I'm not bitter...), I had to stay home for the past two days due to an illness. (Okay, so I'm a little bitter.) Although, I am not one to take things easily but instead enjoy a fast-paced schedule, I took advantage of my lazy days for some well needed rest, that I didn't even notice I needed, and to update some new posts about my few adventures over the past few days!

Inside St. Paul's

St. Paul's dome

            The day before my sickness took it's toll was Sunday, so Candace, Michelle, Camila and I enjoyed a beautiful morning service at St. Paul's Cathedral. It was a new religious experience for me, since I grew up Baptist in a small Southern town. The decorations were breathtaking, the choir sang beautiful songs in Latin and the service itself was one that I had never thought I would witness. I was paying attention to the sermon, but it was hard for my eyes to stop wandering around the room. Mosaics glistened from the sunlight, the ornaments on the wall were perfectly detailed and the echoes from the congregation sent shivers up my spine.

Our Family Tree!

            After church, the group and I enjoyed a leisurely stroll and picnic in Hyde Park. I've been to New York's Central Park, but only explored small parts at a time. Here; on the other hand, we walked almost half of the property! After our picnic under a large tree, we approached a large pond full of paddle boats and rowboats. Ducks, geese and swans lined the banks waiting for handouts. Gorgeous flower gardens were sporadically placed. We took a break from our venture and dipped our feet in the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain. I have never seen a fountain like this one, With the layout of an elliptical lazy river, the memorial had different sections textured and designed to represent the phases of Diana's life.

Princess Diana Memorial Fountain

Peter Pan Statue!

Italian Fountains

            We ended the day at Hyde Park at the Italian Fountains. As we walked out of the gates, we stopped by some stands selling art. There was a woman selling her original paintings, but our attention was drawn to the stand selling mini pub signs. On the shelves, we found a pub sign for "The Arkansas Razorback Pub!" It is the only pub with American origins. According to the stand owner, in World War II, two soldiers from the University of Arkansas came into the pub so often that the pub was renamed. Whether or not this story is true, I found it very exciting and was very tempted to call the hogs right there.

(We also found this treasure the same day the Hogs baseball team advanced to the College World Series...Coincidence? I think not!)

Woo Pig Sooie!