Walks final . .

Looking back on my walks experience I wish that I would have done all of the walks at the very beginning of the term. I learned so much about the ins and outs of London because I went to places that I never would have seen otherwise without the walks class.

I loved the Central Parks walk, partially because we road bikes which made it really enjoyable and really quick, but also because I saw the picturesque and romantic parts of London that you see in movies. We saw lots of families just spending time together and relaxing – that is was I thought of when I thought of London. Oh and Buckingham Palace, I love seeing it any chance I get.

The Regent’s Park was also magical. It was my first walk and we were just getting used to the system of doing the walks and following the directions. It was a challenge and it probably took a bit longer than it needed to but we had a really good time. The gardens in the park were beautiful and I loved seeing people rowing in the pond and sun bathing on the shores of the pond. What a great walk.

The Westminster and St. James walk was awesome too. We walked past a lot of the really tourist saturated parts of town that I love but we also saw a lot of really cool clothing shops that I never would have seen if I hadn’t have gone on the walk. There were also a lot of streets with really pretty homes that were not just old but very well kept and were just very London. I’ll remember this walk.

Soho and Trafalgar Square . .

Just finished my final walk with Alison, Hillary and Alexa. It was wet, but fun. I guess I asked for rain a little too soon!

The walk was a really great one that I wish I would have completed earlier. There were so many restaurants and pubs that I wish I would have seen long ago, but I didn't and now I want to go to dinner at all of them. That part of town is rich in the arts, fashion and entertainment and it really accounts for a lot of the tourist attractions for many.

Lambeth and South Bank . .

This walk was fun because it gave me an even greater perspective of how close a lot of things are together. There are a lot of really prominent things that are within walking distance which will make taking friends around town a lot easier. There were also a lot of really impressive places to take photos.

I did the walk with Allison, Hillary, and Alexa on Wednesday, June 7th.

Inns of Court . .

Inns of Court was a really fun walk. The architecture was particularly pleasing and I had great company too - Andrea and Lindsey. I was pleased to see one of the existing structures that survived the great fire. That's pretty cool to see. I had no idea that much of anything remained from before the fire. Overall a great walk.

Bloomsbury . .

Charles Dickens' home was one of the many highlights of this tour. Another was the restaurants. There were so many little cafes hidden in the side streets and they offered great meals at really reasonable prices. I wish that I had discovered more of them earlier on. This walk taught me that it is good to take a side street here and there just to wander and explore. You find hidden treasures that way!

Lindsey and Sarah came on this walk with me and between the three of us, we found our way. It got pretty tricky at times.

Westminster and St. James . .

This walk needs to be retitled, "The Man District." I swear that more than half of the walk was men's clothing stores which was awesome. Clothing usually isn't geared towards men but I'm glad to know where to find business clothes when I'm in the market. They've got plenty!

This walk really put into perspective how close a lot of things are. This is a smaller city than I thought.

Kaylee, Tara, Hannah and Shelisa all joined in on the adventure.

Central Parks . .

This walk knocked my socks off. I loved it. Going by Buckingham Palace and through the parks was awesome but I think the best part might have been that we didn't walk - we road bikes. It was fun to have a different method of strolling through town. We had to do a little bit of preparation so we weren't constantly looking at the book but it was totally worth the trouble.

Hillary, Alexa, Kelsi, Nick, Kaylee and Alison were all in the group. Good times.

Fleet Street and St. Paul's . .

I led this walk and it was a bit more challenging than I thought. Our group definitely took our time on this walk. We stopped and bought candy, went to Samuel Johnson's home, and even went to a church for a short tour. The group was comprised of Kaylee, Nick, Shelisa, Allison, Hannah and myself. The walk was very impressive and I always love seeing St. Paul's Cathedral.

The City (East) . .

This walk was a blast. I loved walking through all of the narrow alleyways and really getting to know the financial district of London. It seemed like we were constantly zig zagging but I really enjoyed seeing little passages of the city that I normally wouldn't notice. Oh, and once again, I got a great view of the Tower of London. This city is a dream.

Bankside and Southwark . .

The Bankside and Southwark walk was full of surprises. It was a two day journey to finish it but I loved seeing the tower bridge at night AND during the day. The walk covered a beautiful part of town and I was even surprised to run into the Globe Theater on both days. Seeing things that you never imagine seeing just never gets old.

Regent's Park . .

The Regent's Park walk offered a beautiful view of the city and the canals. I enjoyed walking up Primrose Hill and I especially loved walking by the boats docked in the canal. Walking with the entire program gave me a bit of BGA (big group anxiety), but I know it's important for us to bond - and much bonding took place. Part of the walk that we took as a group covered a portion of the Regent's Park walk so Nick, Kaylee, Molly, Tara, Shelisa and I all continued walking. I really enjoyed walking around the beautiful pond and stream that go through the park. The park is massive and very well used. I can tell that parks are an important part of life in London.