FAMOUS LONDON SIGHTS - KENSINGTON PALACE
Among the famous London sights I have long wanted to tour is Kensington Palace. Tom and I met in August of 1997 during a tour of London, and I had hoped to visit the palace at that time since it was then the residence of Princess Diana.
Unfortunately, time ran out for us to tour it, and only a few weeks later time ran out for Princess Diana. Her life was indeed a "Candle In The Wind".
We were pleased to discover that our hotel, the Radisson Edwardian Vanderbilt (once the London home of the Vanderbilt family), was a pleasant walk to Kensington Gardens which is adjacent to Hyde Park. Of the many London gardens, the one attached to Kensington Palace is one of the most popular. Hyde Park is the setting for several Sherlock Holmes mysteries, and one of the most famous London parks.
A leisurely stroll through the gardens brought us to the gates of the Kensington Palace. We were surprised and pleased to discover that the palace would also be treating us to one of the very famous London sights of the 1980s and 1990s: an elegant collection of evening wear belonging to Princess Diana was on display. I remember well the Princess of Wales (Diana) wearing the elegant blue-black gown (on the far left of the photo below)to a state dinner at the Whitehouse where she danced with John Travolta. The ink blue silk velvet dress took the highest bid at a charity auction arranged by Princess Diana, netting a wopping $225,000 which broke the previous Christie’s record of $145,000 for a garment.
Earlier in her reign, she wore fashions that could be typlified as 'fairy tale princess' style. The display to the left is a selection of her 1980's gowns following her marriage to Prince Charles on July 29,1981. 
My favorite gown is the elegant creation to the right. It is typical of Diana's ascent as a style setter. The gracious Grecian (or perhaps Mesopotamian) neckline adds to its distinctive beauty and sophistication. As she matured, Diana employed well known designers to create sophisticated fashions for her. Throughout the 1990s she was known for her elegant, and often trend setting wardrobe. Princess Diana's memory is immortalized in this You Tube tribute to her. Kensington Palace Antiquities
The room pictured 
Pictured right and below are some artistic details from Kensington Palace
KENSINGTON GARDENS - One of the many beautiful London gardens
Kensington Gardens and the Round Lake from a palace window.
As we entered Kensington Gardens we followed this path, and I decided to sit and enjoy the unexpected 78 F (!) weather while Tom took garden "portraits".We were so glad we included this leisurely afternoon on our short list of famous London sights.
Queen Victoria & The Albert Memorial - An Unexpected Famous London Sight
The Albert Memorial was completed in 1868, formally opened to the public in 1872 and the statue of Albert "seated" in 1875. The exquisite architecture is a fitting memorial to Prince Albert who was Queen Victoria's advsior, was deeply involved in improving the life of the citizenry, headed a commission to encourage the fine arts, planned and landscaped the royal home on the Isle of Wight and was loved by the English people as well as by his wife, the Queen. The memorial was designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott in the Gothic revival style...and is 176 feet tall, took over ten years to complete, and cost £120,000.[Wikipedia] The Albert Memorial is one of the famous London sights that was not on our list. It simply took us by surprise as we strolled over a knoll in the middle of Kensington Gardens! Kensington Street Scenes Along The Way To Kensington Gardens
We love London architecture.
Wisteria is so romantic, and it is everywhere in Kensington...at least in April when we were there for our second honeymoon.
Traveling Photographer By Rail and Road
The striking yellow fields on the left were a common site along the road as we headed to the site of our first honeymoon in Devon.
Mysterious Stonehenge on the right is an awesome place to visit. . We spent a couple of hours viewing the monoliths on our honeymoon in 1999. This time Tom just snapped a picture as the traffic slowed while we were on the motorway heading south from London. Click here for more glorious photos of England . What are your favorite London sights? Have you taken a photograph of them? You can share up to 4 photos right here! Read on! Do You Have Awesome Travel Photos
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