London Greenery

London is one of the greenest cities in the world! With two-thirds of the city covered in green space and water, it's hard to tour around the city and not feel like your swimming in a sea of green. We arrived in the city around 10a.m. last Monday morning and, despite a physically and emotionally draining jet lag, our first stop was to explore the area around where are staying in Chelsea. As we walked around, I couldn't help but notice the extensive number of parks across the area. Most of the parks lie within the central area of London. Several of the parks are considered the Royal Parks of London because they were the land originally owned by the monarchy of England, but because of the increasing population and urbanization of London, the parks became open space which the public and tourists could freely walk through.

One of the parks we went to today is one that, i believe, holds up to it's name very well. Green Park covers central London in about 53 acres of green land and trees and lies between Hyde Park and St. James Park. This park is definitely the place for local Londoners and tourists alike to come relax, contemplate, and enjoy the fresh green scenery.

After watching the changing of the guard, we ventured off to another of London's Royal Parks. St James's Park is another green scene in central London and, if you are into ghost stories, this park has the best story in town. It is said that the misty ghost of a woman dressed in red is frequently spotted drifting from Cockpit steps in the direction of St. James Park. It is thought to be the ghostly remains of an officers wife. One Theory is that the officer murdered his wife by cutting off her head and disposing of her body in the pond in St James Park, but he was caught by his fellow officers. The ghost is usually said to be wearing red and in some cases, headless.

Chasing the Smart Cars:

So on a lighter note, throughout my adventures around London town, I have notice these grass covered bugs that drive all around the city. Check them out. These things are smart cars covered in artificial grass turf and they belong to the Easigrass artificial grass company. Seeing as how the locals take great pride in a well kept garden, it is no surprise that grass is dead and plastic is alive and well!