Quiet Amidst the Hustle and Bustle

Quiet Amidst the Hustle and Bustle
            In a rare break from work and special needs mom duties, I spent a few days visiting our older son who works in London.
            It is remarkable that a city as vast, densely populated and complex as London can offer free access not only to countless amazing museums but also to large green spaces.
            The sound of the breeze blowing through the leaves of deciduous trees as we walked through Green Park and St. James’s Park transported me back to my Upstate New York childhood. There are very particular sights and sounds characteristic of trees and plants at specific latitudes.
            On the grounds near Greenwich Observatory we saw a fox begging for picnic scraps. In Kensington Gardens we saw ducks, geese, swans, and precocious squirrels. A fox walking over a grave at Highgate Cemetery under a leafy canopy was another example of wildlife in a major city.
            Here in the much smaller city of San Francisco, we are also fortunate to have a wide array of green spaces and wildlife right within the city limits. Golden Gate Park covers a broad area and has many smaller gardens within its larger scope, including the Rose Garden, where one might occasionally see a coyote or raccoon walking at the periphery, or red-tailed hawks and ravens flying overhead.
            Take a moment to slow down and tune into the quiet green spaces around you. Your physical and mental health will thank you. Keep putting one foot forward!
            This week’s Hike Notes from the archives is Rose Garden-Golden Gate Park. The Rose Garden is a pretty place to stroll or rest on a bench as part of a larger walk in Golden Gate Park, and exhibits many lovely varieties of roses in season.
 
This week’s Hike Notes from the Archives:
(Original Hike Notes 108): Rose Garden-Golden Gate Park, one of many free flower and memorial gardens in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, where a variety of lovely roses can be found.
 
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