The Majesty of London's Renowned Regents Park - Part I / 伦敦著名的摄政公园 - 上集

The famous Regents Park is considered to be one of the most beautiful outdoor tourist attractions in London and an afternoon's visitation to it's sprawling greens and lush gardens simply affirms this bold statement.

Regent’s Park is one of London’s eight Royal Parks and is named after Prince Regent, sometimes referred to as the playboy prince, who later became King George IV from 1762 – 1830).

Also being a personal favourite of mine, a trip to Regent’s Park never fails to be a great day out. I never cease to be amazed at the fact that there are in total 410 acres of lush, beautiful gardens right here, in the heart of London. So if you're every in dire need of some fresh air and breathing space, you couldn't go far wrong by taking a nice, relaxing stroll within it's grounds.

There being only one week before my parents returned to China, I decided to take them on a particularly glorious sunny Saturday afternoon here.

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(A beautiful and sunny day on our way to Regents Park. Will it last though?)

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The park is located in the heart of Central London, near St. Pancras, Marylebone and Paddington. Very close to other such popular tourist attractions like Madame Tussauds and Camden Town. My feeling is that every part of the park has its own unique charm to it, due to the distinctly different looks of each section. Which is something that keeps drawing me back to it again and again.

Like all the big parks in London, Regent’s park is full of wide, open spaces and lush green grass. You'll find many huge, broad trees scattered around that should provide plenty of shade in case of an unexpected downpour. The venue is blissfully tranquil. What more could you ask for?

(Wide and spacious open areas to enjoy the surrounding beauty)

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Frieze Art Fair 2017

Currently, there is a stunning outdoor exhibition for the Frieze Art Fair 2017 in Regent’s Park’s English Gardens, where twenty three sculptures are being exhibited. It features works by some of the most famous 20th-century and contemporary artists, including John Chamberlain, Urs Fischer, Gary Hume, Michael Craig-Martin and Ugo Rondinone. Well worth a visit to indulge in some top-notch creative artwork.

(Could this be based upon the world famous Rubix Cube)

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(You can tell this couple don't know what to make of this particular piece of artwork, lol)

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(Wondering how this amazing piece looks from this little boy's perspective?)

(There you go, lol!)

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Avenue Gardens

The Avenue Gardens is near the Broad Walk. Stand-out highlights include tiered fountains, evergreen hedges and expansive ornamental bowls brimming with colourful flowers. Don't forget to pay this area a visit when here. It's alluring presence is like sweet candy for the eyes. Everyone took out their cameras or phones to take pictures, trying to capture this incredible beautiful moment.

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Within the centre of Avenue Gardens stands a large, circular stone bowl supported by four winged statues of lions. This magnificent sculpture was installed by Newfield in 1863. Check it out below:

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(The lush, sweeping landscapes were breath-taking. Who'd have thought this is all contained in the centre of London)

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There are some awesome little coffee stops/cafes along the way. I can vouch for their great tasting brews. If you opt for the lunch menu, I would recommend the Regent’s Bar and Kitchen. Keep in mind that their sandwiches and pizzas are especially delicious. The café even has a wonderful open-plan space with attached spacious terrace. Perfect for spending a nice, chilled day admiring the gorgeous scenery throughout.

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Money Drinking Fountain

A little further along, we came across the Ready Money Drinking Fountain, which is a four-sided granite and marble gothic drinking fountain. The sculpture contains a whopping ten tonnes of Sicilian marble and additional four tonnes of red Aberdeen granite.

It was a wealthy Iranian industrialist from Bombay who donated it to Regent’s Park in 1869 as a "gift of appreciation" for the protection that he and his fellow nationalists received from British rule in India.

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A Sudden Downpour (Typical!)

If you have ever lived in London, you are probably aware that the weather here can be pretty unpredictable. Not long after we entered the park, a heavy shower came out of nowhere. Luckily for us, there was a smallish willow tree nearby. The perfect hiding spot for us to wait it out, lol. It turned out perfectly as the sunshine wasn't far behind.

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摄政公园被认为是伦敦最美丽的户外旅游景点之一，这里不仅是观景野餐的好去处，还有最大的玫瑰园和动物园，不愧是是英国的皇家公园之一。在中世纪时期这里曾是皇家的狩猎花园，并以摄政皇子命名，也就是后来的国王乔治四世。

这是我在伦敦最喜欢的公园，每次来访都赏心悦目，流连忘返。事实上，在伦敦中心能有410英亩郁郁葱葱的美丽花园，的确不简单。所以如果你需要逃离城市的喧嚣和拥挤，来这儿放松一下就最适合不过了！

父母一周后将启程回国，我决定于上周六带他们来参观这个著名的皇家园林。

公园位于伦敦市中心，靠近St.Pancras火车站，Marylebone和Paddington，四周也有不少著名景点，如杜莎夫人蜡像馆和Camden市集等。摄政公园里面非常大，而且每个部分都有自己独特的魅力，这也是最吸引我的地方。

与伦敦其他大型公园一样，摄政公园里有着宽敞的草坪，天气好的时候躺在这里晒晒太阳可是很舒服的哦，呵呵。你还会看到很多参天耸立的百年老树，非常壮观。我们漫步林荫大道上，伴随着入秋的丝丝凉风，感觉清新怡人。

2017年弗里兹艺术博览会

走进英国花园 (English Garden)，恰好这儿正举办“弗里兹艺术周”。这是一个大规模的户外雕塑作品展，共展出二十三个巨型雕像。这一片浓缩的现场文化由著名的20世纪和当代艺术家的作品来呈现，有John Chamberlain, Urs Fischer, Gary Hume, Michael Craig-Martin and Ugo Rondinone。件件艺术品可谓造工精细，寓意深刻，都是一流的创作作品，很值得一看。对于喜欢艺术的朋友们，千万不要错过哦。以下是我个人精选的几件作品。

大道花园

大道花园位于Broad Walk 附近，主要亮点有分层的喷泉，四季常青的树篱以及鲜艳缤纷的五彩花坛。处处色彩鲜艳绚丽，犹如甜蜜的糖果般吸引人的眼光。游客们纷纷拿出相机拍照，想把这道美丽的风景永远留下。

在大道花园的中心，有一座大型的圆形石碗装满了盛开的花朵，并由四只狮子雕像在下方支撑着。这个宏伟的雕塑是Newfield 在1863年建成的。

我们一路上经过不少咖啡馆，都挺不错的。如果想在这儿享用午餐，我会推荐“摄政酒吧和厨房”，他家的三明治和比萨饼好吃，还有一个延伸的的宽敞露台，让游客在享受美食的同时也欣赏美景。

饮水喷泉

继续往前走，我们来到了饮水喷泉，这是一个四面由花岗岩和大理石做成的特式“饮水机”。整个雕塑包含了高达十吨的大理石和四吨的花岗岩，确实让人叹为观止。

它的历史由来是，一位来自孟买的富裕实业家为了感激英国在印度的统治时期中为他和同胞民主主义者所提供的保护，1869年的时候将这个雕像捐赠给摄政公园。

突如其来的雨

如果你住在伦敦，一定知道这里的天气有多么变幻莫测。我们正在公园里漫步，完全没有先兆地忽然间就下起了倾盘大雨。所幸的是，我们附近有一棵小柳树，造型就像一个小屋似的，绝对是遮风挡雨的好地方，呵呵。我们三人就冲进了柳树下，等待雨停。

（待续）