Meeting news from our branches around the world.

Regents Park

Now that the Summer is almost upon us here in the UK, the Beetle thought she would share her favourite London park: Regents Park – an oasis of green and tranquility in the heart of London. Architect John Nash landscaped the park and designed many of the buildings in the area (also worth a stroll around) in the 18^th Century. The park is within walking distance of the following tubes: Marylebone, Baker St, Regents Park and Camden Town up in the North. Within Regent’s Park, you have Queen Mary’s Flower Gardens, where there are often band concerts in the Summer months, the Boating Lake, the Zoological Gardens, one of the oldest zoos in the world and the Open Air Theatre which often stages Shakespeare in the Summer months. A nice day out could be to visit the weekend market at Camden Lock then head south to the park, have a picnic and watch a play in the evening. The cafes are surprisingly good and not too expensive either.

Greenwich Park

Greenwich Park is probably most famous for having the Greenwich Meridian passing through it, and being home to Greenwich Meantime (GMT). The Beetle’s favourite scuttling route to get to Greenwich is to take the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) to Island River Gardens, and to walk to the river and take the path that goes under the Thames to the other side. Before you take the footpath, stop to admire the view across the river of Greenwich and the fabulous stately buildings including the Old Royal Observatory, designed by Sir Christopher Wren (he of St Pauls), the National Maritime Museum and the Queens House, and not least the Cutty Sark. A good day out would be to take the DLR to Island River Gardens, cross over to Greenwich, take a picnic lunch, wander around and then take a boat back to West London – to Blackfriars or Embankment or Westminster.

Hyde Park

The convenient thing about Hyde park is that is it close to some of the best shopping areas in London. The park is within walking distance of the following tubes: South Kensington, Knightsbridge, Hyde Park Corner in the South and Marble Arch in the north East and Lancaster Gate in the North West. Henry VIII used Hyde Park for hunting in the 16^th Century! In 1851, Prince Albert redesigned it for the Great Exhibition. An absolute must is Speaker’s Corner, especially on a Sunday is an example of freedom of speech, where you can witness impassioned individuals, literally on their soapboxes in some cases, espousing some cause close to their own heart!

For the hardy, there’s the Serpentine Lake where you can hire a boat or even go swimming! There’s also a very good art gallery at the Serpentine. Close by is the Lido, a place to have a drink or snack and in Summer months, there is often a jazz band or a poetry reading. A good day out would be to visit the shops in Knightsbridge, then on to the Victoria and Albert Museum and then over to Hyde park with a picnic lunch.

Next month: Iceland

Please contact Beetle@globetrotters.co.uk for your suggested country itinerary

On Saturday, July 14th, we had the fabulous Yuan Li, a Professor Emeritus from Rutgers University and author of several books on photography. He gave a spectacular slide show about China! Breathtaking photos from Beijing, Shanghai, and Xian. He truly captured the beauty of the people as well as the terrain and helped educate all of us on where to go and what
to see in China. A true inspiration to us all!

Due to all of our summer travelling, there will be no August Meeting, but next month, on September 8^th, we hope to have a talk from Toni Kamis, the well-traveled journalist who has written several travel books and articles

New York meetings are held at The Wings Theater, 154 Christopher Street (btw Greenwich St and Washington St), to the right of Crunch Fitness, in the Archive on the first Saturday of each month at 4 pm.