walk this way (holland park & notting hill)

I've discovered a great way to see London by foot, and I've tromping all over town ever since I arrived. Shane told me about a series of free podcasts by a man named Robert Wright, available through iTunes. Each podcast is a roughly one hour walk through a part of London, which Wright conducts in real time, as he records his description of the walk as he wanders the area he visits. So, we've downloaded the various walks, and walk the tour as we listen to our iPods. We began with the first walk through Holland Park, an area not to far from where I am staying, and we've completed over a dozen since then. You can learn about the walks and download them from this website. You can also subscribe to the podcast through iTunes. Here are some photos of the walks we've done so far.


This is the Kyoto Japanese Garden in Holland Park, which is a favorite with locals. We found people walking their dogs, jogging, exercises, and otherwise enjoying the place. It's beautiful even in the winter, so I can only imagine what it's like in more temperate weather. The park is home to the Holland House, which is a seventeenth-century mansion that is now the location for one of the most popular youth hostels in London.

We then took the walk through Notting Hill, which is the neighborhood where I'm staying. We walked past an apartment building where Dusty Springfield lived for some time. It was being renovated and covered with scaffolding, so we couldn't see it very well. Still, it was a thrill to imagine her looking out the window with her blonde Dusty-in-Memphis 'do. Notting Hill is the place where the piggeries and the potteries once were. So swine once roamed the area, and potters created their wares here. This is one of the few bottle kilns left in the city:

(That would be Miss Shane admiring the kiln.)

And here is a photo of the meats you can purchase at Lidgates, one of the most famous butchers in London:


Just so these posts don't beome crazy long, I'll break them up into bite-size pieces. I'll try to get caught up with the walks we've done and keep current from then on out.