The Pup at the Pub

Summer has FINALLY arrived in London!

Last weekend at David’s and Jeff’s baseball game, Karen and I bundled up in our winter coats and boots and watched all seven innings from the warmth of the car.  But this weekend, we watched the boys in T-shirts and shorts and even got a little too much sun (my legs are painfully red). 

The House boys

Jeff pitching and David at 3rd

Even Kirby came along to soak up the rays 

and watch his daddy and uncle play ball. 

And afterwards, because he was such a good pup and 

Herts won the game, we took Kirby to his first pub to celebrate!

That was Sunday.  On Saturday, I planned a day out in Highgate.  A couple of years ago I read Her Fearful Symmetry, a novel written by Audrey Niffenegger, the author of The Time Traveler’s Wife.  Her Fearful Symmetry is a story about twin girls that inherit their aunt’s flat in Highgate overlooking a famous cemetery, and they experience some supernatural activity.  But not scary supernatural.  More like the Time Traveler's Wife supernatural.  The setting of the book is a real place in north London and I’ve wanted to visit it for a while.  So with the weather finally hitting the high-70s, this was the perfect time to get out there!

We took the one-hour tour of Highgate Cemetery in the afternoon.  The cemetery is one of seven that was commissioned in the mid-1800s to solve the problem of churchyard overcrowding.  This was the first opportunity for the Victorians to show off their wealth through death.  Karl Marx is buried here, as well as the Dickens family (sans Charles Dickens, who was laid to rest in Poet’s Corner in Westminster Abbey).  The cemetery is still in use today, though space is quickly running out.

The cemetery was built on a wooded hill, 

making it a peaceful walk through the woods for visitors

Highgate's most famous occupant - Karl Marx

Egyptian Avenue

Row of tombs

Some of the headstones and monuments are completely covered in foliage

After the tour, we walked down Swain’s Lane to Parliament Hill to relax in the park with the rest of London.  Parliament Hill is so-named because during the English Civil War, the hill was held by the Parliamentarians against the Royalists.  It is also rumored that Guy Fawkes planned to watch Parliament blow up from here.  The top of the hill offers great panoramic views of the city. 

At the bottom of the hill was a large pond and David joked that it was so warm, he wouldn't mind going swimming.  When we came to the bottom, we saw that this was in fact a “swimming pond” and the place was full of locals and even a lifeguard paddling around on a surfboard.  Gross!  I love to swim, but in a pond?  There were ducks and geese paddling around next to the people.  It must be filthy in there.  I’d have to be pretty desperate to swim in a pond.  But then again, when we first moved, I used to poke fun at all of the pale Londoners that would come out in droves in their swimsuits to tan in the parks.  In Texas, you’d hang out at the lake or the local pool, not a park.  But now we’ve become just as pale (David’s new nickname for me is Powder) and just as desperate for the sun.  

Who knows... maybe next year we'll be missing water so 

much that we'll be cooling down in this "swimming pond."

Then we walked through Hampstead Heath to the Camden area.  Everyone always raves about this area of London and its quaint alleys and fun pubs.  It was super cute and we had lunch in the garden of a little wine bar called Forks and Corks.

We found the cutest village in the middle of Camden.  

This is the gate to the community...

...and inside were picture-perfect cottages like this!

Living in a place like London really does make you appreciate the seasons more.  This weather could not be more perfect and with my new job that keeps me closer to home and only a couple of trips planned this summer, we are looking forward to a lot more weekend outings!