Saturday

Today, we are on our own. Pop and Grandma are going to Kensington Palace. Sari and Cari are riding the train to Richmond where Cari lives.

The boys and I took our time to get ready. We headed to Watrelow Park and the cemetary. It was another cold day, forecasted to be low 50's and a definite threat of rain. No sun today.

Sam and Jake wanted to go to Highgate Woods after Waterlow, but because we had to walk down the bridge steps toward the house and then double back up the hill, we went home first for lunch. We had plenty of leftovers. Luke said he wasn't much interested in going to Highgate Woods again. I suggested we check it out since Jake hasn't been. Sam replied, I don't want to just "check it out" and makes the hand quotes motion. I had the house cell phone so was able to touch base with Sari and Cari. They were going to stop for lunch and then head to Hamptstead Heath. We finished lunch and walked down to Archway to buy a day pass for Jake and then caught the C11 bus outside the station to Hampstead Heath. Sam still wanted to go to Highgate Woods but I told him we could go later.

We connected with Sari and Cari just minutes after getting off the bus a few blocks past they came off the train.

The public transportation is really easy and effective here. There's much that LA and Phoenix can do to improve. You can get anywhere with public transportation here. Pop says they've had a few hundred years head start.

Hampstead Heath is a large scale park with different sections like Parliament Hill play area, a couple of bathing lakes, huge expanses of green, and in one section a weekend fair was setup with rides and booths.
We let Jake and Sam go into a "house of mirrors" and I had to go in to rescue Sam. It's unfortunate that Phoenix and even LA don't have these large scale parks. You truly feel like your're out of the city. There's a hill in the park where you get a panaoramic view of London.

Every place we've been so far, there have been multiple churches overseeing the neighborhoods. Large, ornate, and historically old buildings. They're active preparing for services because its Easter weekend. Walking from Hampstead Heath to catch our bus home we were welcomed in one of these churches to admire its beauty. They were preparing for an 8:30 service. You don't get many late services like that in Tempe.
After making it back to Archway, we stopped, hinally, at Charlotte Despard pub. I've been wanting to go in since the first we passed it. It's just down from our house and across Archway road. There's a tunnel under Archway you can walk through. They call it a "subway."

Myself, Sari, Cari and the boys made ourselves at home. Cari and I had a pint of English ale. The lady bartender gave Cari a quick synopsis of the make of the ale and where the brewery's is located. There were a bunch of board games available. Jake and Luke settled into a game of chess, Sari and Cari Scrabble, and Sam and I Battleship.

When it was time to go the guy bartender gave us a little history lesson about Archway. It was a road built by the Romans. They cut a tunnel through the hill so they didn't have to go over it. Eventually, it colapsed and killed many people. Right outside the pub was an egg drop (apparently they gathered eggs there). The existing bridge at the top of Archway was built by a famous English architect Turnblood or something beginning with T. It is now known as suicide bridge because of all the people jumping off because of bad economic times.

He told us how the get to the Parkland Walk from suicide bridge (two streets down, turn left on Stanhope Road). I can't wait to take that walk. He said you can go for 40 minutes and it won't seem like you're in London. He also said keep an eye out for the graffiti and specifically a cat he and his boys did.

We made it home before pop and grandma. Tonight was leftover night. We had plenty of spaghetti, meatloaf and mashed potatores, and salad.