Exploring Crystal Palace Park

Well it was another great day Sunday. I started the morning off by doing my laundry at the end of the road. Literally at the end of the road. I love this launderette... the staff are friendly and the machines are clean and reasonable priced. After having to hand wash things for three weeks it is such a luxury to be able to do my laundry once a week. Once that was done I figured I had better top up my oyster card as it was getting low., The Oyster card is the ticketless way to use London transport. You can put monthly or weekly passes on it or just pay as you go as I do. It is not cheap. It seems every time I turn around I am handing over more cash to add to it but oh well - London is worth it. So off I toddled to Honor Oak Park station as the closet station's ticket office (Crofton Park) was closed.

I then headed over to Brockley Jack, the local pub. I have been wanting a Sunday roast since I got here and this one was good and reasonably priced so I was told. And it was..rather than stick to one meat I had a combo of all three... pork, beef and turkey with a huge Yorkshire pudding, roast potatoes and veggies including roast parsnips. Oh my my my. Very yum.

Then off on the #122 bus to Crystal Palace as I wanted to visit the famous park - or Victorian pleasure garden as it was known, All 200 acres of it. It is a huge park and rather derelict with just a hint of its former glory. I also wanted to see the famous life size dinosaurs... yes, dinosaurs.... they were sculpted when dinosaurs were first discovered apparently. I finally found them after asking everyone and their dog (and they all gave me different answers) and wandering all over the place including a huge sports complex in the park. It was totally worth it as they were in a pretty lake setting. I don't know what I expected but it wasn't that. The park was home to the famous Crystal Palace that was built for the World's Fair in 1851 in Hyde Park. It was rebuilt in nearby Penge Hill in 1854 but sadly it was destroyed by fire in 1936. As you can tell from the photos the park was very ornate in its day. It is somewhere I have wanted to visit for a while but just too out of the way from where I usually stay. It is only a 20 minute bus ride from where I am staying now. Well worth the trip!!

Didn't expect to see these! Radio tower in background

I thought this was a deer of some kind but guess it's an extinct species,,,

There you go,... dinosaurs!

And another one,,,oooo..scary...

More!

Thought this bird was so pretty. It's real!

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Restless Prairie Girl

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