As Jerry Jeff Walker Would Say, I Decided To "Go Down To Marble Arch Station"

Rick and Sandy decided to spend more time at Portobello Road, whilst we broke off and Tube'd to Marble Arch Station.  My goal was to see Marble Arch, Speakers Corner (it was Sunday) and stroll through Hyde Park.

Marble Arch was closed off, under renovation.  It's not a big deal.

Marble Arch

We moved on to Speakers' Corner, which is an amazing London tradition in a part of Hyde Park right by Marble Arch.  It's certainly changed since I went in the 1980s, when people would stand on milk crates to opine about the evils of Margaret Thatcher, Ronald Reagan, and the impending nuclear war they were on the brink of causing.  I suppose nuclear war is still going to happen, but not until The Day After.

Anyhow, Speakers' Corner has been a traditional for people to gather since the mid-1800s.  Those with an axe to grind speak out freely on the topics of the day, oft resulting in debate.  Some gather to listen, while others show up to heckle.  It was great to see in the 1980s.

Among those who turned up regularly there in the past are two of the worst people to ever inhabit the earth, Karl Marx and Vladimir Lenin.  Between the two of them millions have been killed for their failed ideology.  Other famous names who would speak regularly include George Orwell and Marcus Garvey.

From Wikipedia:

Speakers here may talk on any subject, as long as the police consider their speeches lawful, although this right is not restricted to Speakers' Corner only. Contrary to popular belief, there is no immunity from the law, nor are any subjects proscribed, but in practice the police intervene only when they receive a complaint.  On some occasions in the past, they have intervened on grounds of profanity.

Well, there was a much more massive crowd there than I ever saw on prior visits, but the discourse is primarily arguments over Jesus and Muhammed.  

Part of the massive crowd there to

listen to mostly religious arguments,

instead of the good old political verbal

brawls of the Thatcher-Reagan years.

From there we headed further into Hyde Park to the Serpentine (a small lake or large pond, with rental boats).  On our way through the park, we saw families playing soccer, lovers arm-in-arm, friends chatting away, picnics, and people generally enjoying the park.

Hyde Park is a 350 acre oasis in the heart of London, the largest part of the triumvirate that includes Green Park and St. James Park.  

It was established by Henry VIII in 1536 on a rare day when he wasn't remarrying or getting rid of a wife.  He took the land from Westminster Abbey for a hunting ground.  In 1637 it opened to the public, and became a spot for parades and duels.

In the late 20th century, the park copied Central Park in NYC, hosting free concerts featuring renowned rockers like the Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, and Queen.  The place must have been mobbed for those bands.  

It was a pleasant walk along the Serpentine, and then not far to the apartment as we cut through Hyde Park Corner.

The Serpentine, with boaters.

A fine Graylag Goose that

we took a gander at.

Swan.

Look at the neck tuft

on this Gray Heron.

I've never seen a heron

in America with one.

don't have this. 

The four of us met back up at the apartment and headed to The Barley Mow for a traditional British Sunday roast.  The positives -- great pub, great service, too much food.  The negative?  The Yorkshire Pudding was not soft and chewy.

The Roast, served family style, consisted of four types of meat -- roast beef, lamb, chicken, and pork.  It came with two types of potatoes, as well as a mix of vegetables.  Sunday roasts are a British tradition, typically served between lunch and 6pm. 

The Yorkshire Pudding had obviously been cooked much earlier in the day.  I figured out the trick was to drown it in gravy so the Pudding would soften.  Yorkshire Pudding is NOT a pudding as Americans know it.  Instead it is more like a popover.  Well, it really is a popover.  Covering it in gravy made it much tastier.