Bob and I arrived in London on Iceland Air from Chicago via Reykjavik on Thursday, 9/29. We are staying on the edge of the Kensington neighborhood in the Xenia Hotel. After a fitful night of mostly not rest and then waking up at 9:00 am (?!), Bob and I indulged in a lovely, complimentary breakfast buffet at the hotel before heading off on our own.
I decided to walk to the British Library, which neither of us had explored on prior visits. It was a 90 minute walk, so I got to see a bit more of London on the way there as well as lots of people out and about.
The British Library is similar to the US Library of Congress in that it is legally required to collect and preserve a copy of every book, newspaper, magazine, and map published in the UK as well as printed music. The Library has evolved from the Library of the British Museum, which was founded in 1753. I perused their exhibit showing samples of their materials and then just explored the building itself.
After my visit to the library, I decided to walk on to Regent’s Park, as neither Bob nor I had been there before either. The park was about a 30-40 minute walk from the library. Again, it was great to see a bit more of the city on my way.
Regent’s Park is one of eight Royal parks and covers an area of 395 acres, including a zoo. I saw just a small part of it, mostly near Queen Mary’s Gardens.
All in all a great day, especially as I got back to the hotel shortly after Bob and before it began raining.
Peckish Travels 