A Walk In The Park

I'm a die-hard Princess Diana fan. When she died in 1997, friends were calling me up to calmly break the sad news and ask if I'm okay. I went to the British Embassy in Manila to pay my last respects and wept as Sir Elton John sang Candle In The Wind for her funeral at the Westminster Abbey, broadcast to two billion people worldwide.

My first stop in London, naturally, was Kensington Palace, the former home of Diana, Princess of Wales. As if by fate, it was once again opened to the public the day I arrived. Queen Victoria's clothes are now on exhibit.

A must have photo-op at the palace gates and a long walk at the gardens. I learned later on that the Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park combined is bigger than the Principality of Monaco. I just kept walking and walking with my travel buddy Rey up to where our feet will take us, until we finally found the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain. It was already dusk, and the sky was turning a pale shade of violet, one could only hear the water rushing down the oval-shaped fountain. At once you're filled with peace and serenity, and a gentle memory of a great woman.