Hyde Park

Hyde Park is one of London's eight royal parks. Hyde Park covers 350 acres and is certainly more than just an everyday park! It is home to a number of famous landmarks including the Serpentine Lake, Speakers' Corner (a place where people are allowed to speak on any subject they want to) and the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain. 

Henry VIII received Hyde Park from the monks of Westminster Abbey in 1536. He and his court had often been seen there hunting deer. The park remained his private hunting ground until James I came to the throne and allowed a limited amount of people access. Later, Charles I changed the park completely by opening it up to the general public in 1637. One fact I found extremely interesting is that in 1665, the year of the Great Plague, many citizens of London fled the City to camp in Hyde Park, in the hope of escaping the disease! Hyde Park is certainly full of history (along with more than 4,000 trees)!

Hyde Park: Serpentine Lake and Serpentine Bridge

Artistic Expression
Hyde Park is full of amazing sculptures, memorials, and landscapes that show a variety of artistic expressions. Something which may not be known to most people is the fact that the Serpentine (the lake that divides the park in two) is not natural. It was actually created in 1730 by orders from Queen Caroline to create a focal point for pathways in the park. The creation of the Serpentine displays her artistic expression of being as simple yet as beautiful as this lake.

The Italian Gardens, a site inside of Hyde Park, is a beautiful area full of water fountains and flowers created by Prince Albert in the 1860's. He was inspired to create this depiction of Renaissance Italy as a romantic gesture to the woman he loved, Queen Victoria. The amazing details and pure beauty of the fountains exhibit the grand and outrageous styles of Prince Albert's artistic style. He wanted to express his love to the Queen in a way that would last, and he certainly did it right with the beautiful Italian Gardens.

Me, wishing somebody would dedicate a whole fountain to me!

The beautiful Italian Gardens

Family
Hyde Park is an amazing place for families. Not only is it an amazing site to play sports or walk the family dog, you can even pedal boat on the Serpentine and ride horses in the special horse riding arena! Not to mention the amazing Diana Memorial Playground which provides children a place to play and explore while their parents relax at the nearby cafe.

Hyde Park is a place that families in the past have gone to for years, creating a sense of tradition. It does not cater to only English families; it is a place where families from all over the world can visit and have fun.  I believe that Hyde Park brings everybody together into a neutral and relaxing environment. It is a nice place to go to get away from the hustle of London and enjoy special family time.

Reflection
When I was walking through Hyde Park I could not get one thought out of my mind: This is certainly not just a walk in the park! It is truly an amazing place to see! There are beautiful trees and flowers everywhere., not to mention the amazing Serpentine lake in the middle. Hyde Park is full of all types of people, from businessmen taking a shortcut home after work to students going for a run. I witnessed countless people, both adults and children, feeding the squirrels peanuts! This was definitely not something I have ever seen before. I was actually more scared for the children than they were for themselves! I would love to live near Hyde Park and go there to relax, run, or even spend special family time in the future.