Hyde Park and Speakers' Corner

Hyde Park was on my list of attractions to visit in London, mainly because I wanted to see whether anyone was really trying to rally a crowd at Speakers' Corner.

No one was, possibly because I went on a Monday, and the soapbox oratory that supposedly goes on there happens on Sunday afternoons.

So drat!

According to Rick Steves' London 2012, anyone who has something to say and wants an audience can gather one on Sunday afternoons at Speakers' Corner. Apparently, speakers climb step-ladders, wave flags, wear sandwich boards and do whatever they can to attract attention and listeners. (A few days later, I did see a guy standing in The Thames playing an electric guitar, but we're not there yet.)

London's Central Park
Hyde Park is Londoners' version of New York City's Central Park. Its 600 acres of lush greenery and broad lawns were originally Henry VIII's hunting grounds. My friend and unofficial guide Steve and I took a stroll through part of it on an uncharacteristically cool-but-sunny day that he described as "tropical" by London standards. Actually most of the week was like that, but I don't doubt the veracity of those who say that it's usually raining.

With two and half days of sight-seeing about to wind down, the reason for the trip -- graduation -- was just hours away, scheduled for the following morning.

Steve and I would be among eight graduates receiving a master's in organizational psychology, though about 400 bachelor's and master's candidates from all over the world would be participating in the ceremony at the Barbican Center.

Coffee, conversation and OP
As much as I enjoyed the sight-seeing, it was even more fun to actually converse in person with a fellow student and graduate. OP has been around for along time, but even though I live in a city with three four-year colleges, none of them offers it -- and having studied through distance learning, I'd never actually met any of my fellow students. Although some close friendships had developed during conferencing and emailing, being able to sit down and have a conversation about OP with a kinsman was an experience I'd been imagining for the past five years.

Steve and I would walk for a while as he shared his knowledge of London and England, then we'd decide it was time for coffee and sit-down conversation -- and a coffee shop was never far away. London is like that. Looking for a pub? Start walking... Need to buy a postcard? Start walking... Need to find an Underground station? Start walking...

We never ran out of things to discuss... courses we enjoyed or didn't, our experiences with various tutors (i.e. professors/instructors), and our OP areas of interest. Steve is intrigued by non-violent conflict and e-learning, among other things, while I am focusing on cross-cultural psychology.

The comparison may be lost on readers who are not Star Trek fans, but meeting my OP pals reminded me Deep Space Nine's Odo and how he felt when he found his home planet.

Below are a few more photos of Hyde Park. In case you haven't noticed, the slideshow at right includes all of the 34 photos I've posted so far. To view them as a slideshow, click on the photo, and you'll be taken to my flickr page. There, click on the "action" menu at the top of the page, and then choose "view slideshow."