Holland Park London

Happy 2008, I just got back from a fantastic walk around Holland Park in London, where I am once again on a layover I managed to pick up a Podcast on a walking tour of London, which had a 1 hour walking tour of Holland Park. I took the tube over to the park, however, for those of you on an "Oyster Card", the card that you use as a pass on London transit, the Holland Park exit is in zone 2 as opposed to Nottingham station, which is in zone 1, so it is cheaper to get off at Nottingham station and walk to Holland Park, which is about 10 minutes away. The podcast can be found on the iTunes site for ipod, and is quite interesting, however, I found myself getting a little lost in the park due to the signs not being too well posted on directions, while follwing the podcast. That aside, the walk was nice and took about 1 hour. I actually saw a fox, which I was surprised to see running around the park. The park was originally the grounds of a house, actually a mansion, that was destroyed in WWII. The remaining areas of the house that were salvaged were turned into a youth hostel, also known as the Holland Park youth hostel, run by the YHA and a restaurant which was made out of a separate area of the mansion that was salvaged. I have actually stayed in the youth hostel, and it is supposed to be one of the most famous and widely used youth hostels in London. It is a fantastic deal, and was about maybe $30 a night, at that time, around 2002, -with- breakfast included, per night. A great deal for London, and the breakfast is a FULL breakfast, not just some cereal and toast. It was quite interesting staying in what was once one of the wings of a grand mansion. A walk around Holland Park will take you to some murals that were painted in the last few years, that depict the Holland Park mansion, as it was in the 1870's. A restaurant is also located in this area, although no one seemed to be there when I went by late at night, and I was left to wonder if the restaurant is only open during the day. Also, please be aware of the closing time of the park, which is at dusk, depending on the time of year, obviously it will vary. I found myself trying to get out of the park after closing and had to hop over the fence to get out. I misjudged the distance to the ground and fell on my behind when I fell, so be careful!!! I had dinner at a McDonald's nearby, but as the pound is so strong against the dollar, my "value meal, came out to be close to $8 U.S. for a Quarter Pounder with cheese, fries and a coke. I have yet to really find a good deal on restaurants here in London, even though the food is quite good, I really suggest trying the supermarkets, where you can buy groceries at closer to "US prices", than eating out.