England: Liana Lima (Forest Bathing)

Forest Bathing

I chose to do my forest bathing activity on the grounds of the Kenwood House Estate. I decided to take my walk after I finished a tour of the House with my British Life and Cultures class. The course content inspired me to take this stroll since we briefly touched on the significance of walking culture in the UK. Since many British people spend their leisure time taking walks at stately homes I figured that Kenwood would be the perfect place to try a walk myself.

I started at the house, which overlooked an expansive, beautifully kept field. While I could’ve walked through the field I opted for a path through the woods. My traverse was a bit tiring as the walking path had many hills, however, I didn’t mind the strain as the scenery relaxed and distracted me. On my stroll, I could hear the rustling of fall leaves on trees and the whistling of the wind. At certain parts, I could hear the rushing of water from a nearby stream. As I got closer I saw a flock of ducks that resided in the stream. I stared at them in awe, their colorful heads and feathers were much different than the ducks I was used to seeing at home. I later looked them up and found out they were Eurasian teals.

I passed by many different kinds of people on my walk. Some were alone wearing fancier clothes while others were in pairs sporting athleisure. Some people had dogs or babies.

It was clear that the area provided an escape from the city that anyone and everyone could enjoy. As I veered around the corner and topped a hill, a monumental sight came into view. From where I was standing, I could see the skyscrapers of London in the distance. It was a peculiar sight because it seemed so far away while also being so close. While the skyline appeared far off, just a ten-minute walk would lead you back into a different part of the city. This made me consider just how expansive the city of London is and all the different areas and types of architecture it contains. For example, the skyline I could see from the hilltop was the financial district while the area I would later walk to in order to board the bus back to the intercity was residential.

After admiring the view for a bit, I walked back to the estate and met up with some friends who had been on a walk as well. Here, we finished our visit with tea and cakes putting a particularly British end to our day.

Liana Lima

Major: Psychology or Communications

Hometown: Milwaukee, Wisconsin