Travel

Springtime in London: A Special City Becomes Even More Delightful

Spring London puts on a glorious show.

No, Sir, when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford.”

— Samuel Johnson, 1777

Some two hundred fifty years later, many global cities live up to the high bar of offering a fulfilled life that makes the spirit soar. But arguably, no city can match London’s naturally and consciously glorious in Spring.

Spring suits London. Its temperate climate and consistent rainfall throughout the year bring on an “early” spring, compared to the northeastern U.S.

A reverence for nature is evident in well-planned, spacious public parks, the most notable of course is Hyde Park, 350 acres of gardens, paths, ponds, and fields.

But the smaller, out-of-the-way places are where I found a London spring blooming in its own elegant way.

London is an easy city to love, as Paul Gardner wrote in this charming essay. The city is welcoming and fairly easy to navigate by foot or public transportation.

Notting Hill

One of my favorite things is to stroll the neighborhoods and if I’m being honest, daydream about what it might be like to live on— not just visit — a street in Notting Hill.

Yes, I could live looking out upon a glorious blooming tree…..

Or with a blast of tulips out the front gate….

Or perhaps in a garden flat with a bank of Irish moss by the entrance.

The other streets of Notting Hill are eclectic and picture postcard perfect, but in spring the buildings coordinate with the plantings for a color riot.

In the Colville neighborhood within Notting Hill a side street park and playground provide a welcome respite, and a place for the local kids to burn off some energy. These “pocket parks” are ubiquitous in London and help give the city a human-scale feel.

To me, it’s urban life at its best.

Holland Park

I most often am traveling solo in London and Brett Jenae Tomlin’s travel piece about “practicing” solo travel really resonated! I know well how anxiety can be paralyzing on a trip. For that, you need the tranquility of a garden.

It’s one of the reasons I try to visit Holland Park each time I’m in London, especially in the spring. It is 54 acres of wooded winding trails, playgrounds, and a cafeteria, all guaranteed to soothe a travel-weary (or anxious) soul.

The highlight of the park is the exquisite Kyoto Garden, a gift from the city of Kyoto, Japan to commemorate the friendship between Japan and the United Kingdom.

This is meditation heaven. The koi banners swing gently in the breeze and deserve a closer look. Can this be in a city of nearly nine million?

Yes, if that city is London.

Ahhh. You can exhale now.

One last garden to remember

Grosvenor Square is a lovely square block park in the fashionable district of Mayfair. It has special significance for vising Americans as it is the location of the September 11 Memorial Garden. The U.S. Embassy stood proudly on the Square, across from the Memorial Garden, until it was moved in 2018.

Sixty-seven British citizens were lost at the Twin Towers on 9/11.

The Upshot

Gardens heal. Gardens soothe. They feed the intellect with the infinite combinations and beauty of the natural world.

Flora and fauna are humanity’s best friends and the source of never-ending delight.

© 2023 Jane Trombley