These are a few of my favorite things: Regent's Park

Our first weekend trip with the students was to London and Greenwich. I love all the well-known sights and sounds of London, but I also have my special favorite places. We usually stay near King's Cross Station when we are in London, and over the years I have made it a habit to spend as much time as I can in Regent's park, which is about a 15 minute walk from our hotel of choice, the Al Hambra (where the rooms are sooooo small that you literally couldn't swing a cat in 'em without killing the poor creature - but hey, it's cheap(ish)!).

Regent's Park is a gem! There are wide open fields, sports grounds, jaw-droppingly beautiful flower gardens (both English-style, which is sort of wild and natural, and French-style, which tends towards the geometric and manicured), lakes (yes, plural) with an amazing array of wildlife (more to come, Zoe!), a Japanese garden, a theatre, and a Zoo, for corn's sake! I am a dweeb - somehow I have never made it to the zoo - but who needs a zoo when you have all these crazy waterbirds? Anyway, here are some shots of the park.

First off, the broad walks:









The Japanese Garden:




Queen Mary's Garden, which features beds of fantastic roses (helpfully labeled) and a circular arbor which when abloom drips roses on the happy breed who read on the many benches provided:















...And the lakes!




...with the waterfowl!

There are lots of Canada geese, including babies.


Geese on the march! These guys look threatening - but actually are just coming for the bread that a man nearby was tossing.



These ones smelled my innate geese-o-phobia and came at me....RUN AWAY!


There are also lots and lots of herons:





They are not afraid of humans....


A flock of herons! Who knew?


The stately black swans. I crept up on them while they were napping....



...which woke them up....


...and sent them sailing, stately as tall ships, down the lake.


They didn't like me, but they didn't attack me! According to legend, all the swans in England belong to the queen...I wonder if that includes these dark beauties. Given their restraint and good manners, I would think so.
There are all manner of exotic geese and ducks. I haven't looked up their names, but I saw several stuffed in the Cambridge Zoology Museum...Needless to say, I don't remember all their types. I took pics of some of the most interesting, but there were many more who eluded me.





I love this guy!


The same variety, swimming:






I tried to catch a mallard who was taking a vigorous bath, but all I got was the splash....


And my favorite of all!

Isn't he magnificent?

You may wonder, given this profusion, where all the procreating and nesting occurs, given that this is a very public, and thus somewhat busy, park. As I rambled, I came across some of their nests. Resourceful, they are!






I caught this little guy nearby:


And, amidst all this avian life, Mr. Turtle: Not flashy or particularly endearing... but enduring.


Note to K and L: This park sits right on the edge of Marleybone.

Want more Regent's Park? Check out the following!
http://www.royalparks.org.uk/parks/regents_park/

http://www.openairtheatre.org/