Hyde Park and my adventure to ASDA

Today was tiresome but definitely one of my many days I'll probably get lost. Being our last day of summer, Sara and I decided to spend it at Hyde Park, one of London's most famous and largest parks, and then a trip to ASDA, also known as the "Walmart" of the UK (hence, we wanted some cheap paper towels, laundry detergent, etc because 1 pound here is equivalent to about $1.70 US dollars!) . 

We started the day with tackling the tube on our own to Hyde Park, which actually was not bad at all, since it was only about 3 stops on the same route and ended right in front of the park. Once walking through the entrance of the park my heart was warmed by the families eating lunches on the grass, friends laughing and talking on benches, kids splashing in fountains, couples holding hands walking down different paths, people rowing small boats in the lake or enjoying a good book on a bench. As I have simply discovered, I see people living here! Well Sara and I decided to walk to the very end of the park to see the statue of Peter Pan. The walk was about 2mls. but it was nice to be surrounded by the tranquility and the peace outside the on-going city. And the little statue of Peter Pan nestled in the trees brought back memories of my childhood when I would always repeat my favorite line of the movie, "poor Nana...," watching it over and over as a 3 year old, and even now never forgoing a ride on Peter Pan at Disneyland because it continues to be one of my favs. Overall, my love for the parks in London continues to grow day by day. I'll definitely be going back there to eat my lunch and read a good book!

So now onto my adventure to ASDA...Immediately following our trip to Hyde Park we decided to get on a tube closest and head towards our next destination-ASDA. ASDA is an affiliate of Walmart and living in the city, it is extremely hard to find larger markets or stores that carry all types of products for a cheap price. Basically, no Targets (which I love), no Walmarts, no Costco's;however with the exception of ASDA! After getting on the tube, we realized we had to take 3 different routes because ASDA was as South as our tube pass would allow us to go. Let me also add, this was supposedly the closest one to Hyde Park. We thought what the heck, this better be worth it and the best way to learn our surroundings is to get lost! Finally after exiting the tube, we realized we were probably not that close to ASDA. With my basic map of only major streets and areas around London and the address we thought it couldn't be that far. According to the map, our tube station was about 1.5 inches away from the area. After getting there, we realized  1.5inches on a map more or less means about 4-5 miles. So we started to walk and walk and walk and finally someone knew what we were looking for and kindly directed us the right away! We finally made it and of course were a bit enthusiastic about it since a couple older gentlemen were looking at us like we were crazy for taking pictures and jumping up and down! 

Once leaving, we had the problem of carrying heavy bags and getting back to a tube station. So we just decided to jump on the first bus we saw and luckily we were actually going in the right direction. Plus, a nice woman overheard our confused directions and guided us to the tube. Once reaching the tube, we took 2 different routes and finally made it back to the flat! All in all it was about a 3 hour adventure for a Walmart! Even though my body was exhausted, it was totally worth it! 

This may be a long story, but I tend to ramble when I describe situations but plus, I didn't want to leave any details out. I want everyone to get a taste of my life in London, even my experience to Walmart. As each day unfolds, I'm excited to learn and see more. Hope you enjoyed my little story and experience at Hyde Park!

Talk to you soon.

xoxo

Jenna in London