We had been planning to go to Hampstead Heath for a few months but for one reason or another kept putting it off. A few weeks ago, we had brunch with Christian and Areej... they had spent the previous day exploring the Heath and Primrose Hill. They both went on and on about how much they enjoyed the area so the next weekend... you guessed it... we made the "journey" north to check it out for ourselves. One thing I have come to realize living in London is that distances that used to be short and manageable by car... are "far" via public transport. This is especially the case when you have to change trains or buses. The heart of Hampstead Heath is only about 3 and 1/2 miles from our front door. However, when you factor in the wait for the bus, the actual bus ride, and the additional walk to the park once we got off at the wrong stop... it took us about an hour! It all worked out in the end because we broke the journey with a pub break!
Nothing like an antipasto platter and a couple of pints to start a Sunday off right! Yummy!
I fell in love with the neighborhood we walked through on our way to the park... Tons of character and charm. Some of the houses... and yes, they were houses... were gigantic! Apparently, back in the "day" wealthy Londoners moved to this area to escape the hustle and bustle of city life... about 7 miles away!
Can't you just see us living here?!?
At this point in the walk (aka photo session), Chris was rolling his eyes and leaving me behind! I couldn't help it... too many opportunities to make it in to the 2009 Laura Kipphut Card Collection ;-)
Alas, we finally made it to the park and apparently to the top of London! The park is mostly unmanicured and natural, a nice change from the Royal Parks around us. It was almost like hiking through the woods with thousands of strangers! You can't tell by this picture but the park was packed with picnicers, sunbathers, dog walkers, bikers, etc!
I made Chris wait for about 10 minutes for a man who was sitting under this tree to leave so I could get a "person free" pic! He is such a good sport! I think the wait was worth it! The tree is awesome!
The park just went on and on... there were even 3 swimming lakes (one for men, one for women and one co-ed). Next time we will bring our suits. I could definitely get lost here, especially since there are no sign posts or maps to guide you along the way.
Either Chris is shrinking or this tree is gigantic! We eventually found our way from the south end of the park to the north end where we met Tim at the Old Bull and Bush for another round of pints (glass of Sauvignon Blanc for me :-) and dinner. If the warm weather holds out for the weekend... we may just head back for round 2 this weekend!
Until next time!!
~Hugs and Kisses~
1 comment:
Ooh.. Maybe when your lease runs out of your current place, you'll relocate? It looks soo nice.
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