London: Lost in Hampstead

June 10, 2013: After Harry Potter, we ate sandwiches (we had made earlier) on the train and headed to Hampstead. I had found a little pub called "The Freemason's Arms" that played "Skittles" on Tuesday nights. It is an old game from the Tudor era, that is the precursor to Bowling. Only instead of knocking the pins down with a bowling ball, you roll a big hunk of cheese! We wanted to try.

 

One of the train station stops.

We were figuring all kinds of things out, like how the Tube works and how to get around.

 We all smiled at each other, everytime the train-lady-voice said "Mind the Gap!" so I had to take a picture of the gap. She wasn't kidding! You could DIE if you didn't mind the gap!




There was also some sticker shock when Joseph learned that there is no FREE "just run in and use the bathroom" in Europe. It was 30 pence per visit in one of the nicer train stations. We decided to make a little pit stop, fork out the $$ and go to the loo. I wish I would have had my camera, because inside, they had a little gum ball machine. Like the kind that have little plastic balls with prizes inside. Only instead of prizes it was a chewable toothbrush! If they wouldn't have charged me 30 more pence to go back in, I would have gone and taken a picture! It was so funny. They just looked like the heads of a toothbrush, kind of bending in half, and I guess you just chewed it up! Ha!

At the Hampstead stop we had a little moment with "The Book of Mormon"!! After we saw this poster, we noticed them everywhere. I guess it is a pretty big hit in the West End.

Joseph in the Tube station

Sometimes we are such Tourists! We saw our first Red Telephone booth in Hampstead and we had to get our pictures taken!

If you look closely, you can see my hair starting to curl like mad. Holy cow! Living in dry Utah, I had forgotten how curly my hair actually is. This was still early, and so it isn't too bad yet. But I eventually gave up! (You will see a picture in a little bit) :-)

This was so cool! Its an old Post Box. You can see a close up of the little plaque just below.

 

We just started walking to find the Pub, and took our time. It was such a BEAUTIFUL, almost sleepy town. It seemed very upscale and probably very expensive. The architecture was beautiful, but it was a strange mix of old and contemporary. 

An old church. I loved the gate though, so took a picture of both. Hampstead was so clean and idyllic; people out riding bikes and walking little dogs. The weather was cool and it was really very quiet everywhere.

Just a little walk in picturesque Hampstead. Joseph and Merinda.

The homes and gardens here were absolutely Beautiful!

Another pretty little English Garden.

Some of the homes were HUGE and buried behind large old trees and gardens. I wish I could have taken pictures, but because they were so hidden, one picture couldn't capture the magic of seeing them as we walked along.

After a while, we actually started to get a little worried that we were lost in Hampstead. Not that we minded, because it was such a lovely place, but it WAS getting late and we weren't sure where we were. We kept walking along these beautiful residential streets, thinking we were in the wrong place for a pub to show up. But we were following the address, and sure enough, when we came to the end of the street of these large mansion-type houses, there it was. It was the classiest looking Pub we had ever seen! (Not that any of us were pub-aficionados) but even when we walked in, we immediately felt under-dressed, and couldn't figure out where they were hucking cheese. Inside, were tables tucked around a heavy, dark wood bar. The walls were paneled part way up in the dark wood too, and the lighting was ambient. There was a huge fireplace on one end, with club chairs facing it and groups of smartly dressed 30-45-somethings chatting engagingly, but not boisterously at tables under the windows and in the leather club chairs. Everyone looked at us as we walked in, probably because we were obviously strangers. A nice waiter offered to help us. He was running around, busy, but explained that the "Skittle Lanes" (Skittle Lanes! ha!!) were in the basement, but the club wasn't there tonight. (A Skittle CLUB! ha!!) He said that he knew they weren't because if they were, some would be at the bar with a mug (imagine this being said in an English accent, in this cool place by a waiter in skinny jeans, and earring and a twinkle in his eye right then-almost a "you-know-what-I-mean" nudge) He continued, "And they usually came up to get their ale, then go back down." We were so disappointed! But thanked him and left.

We started back down the road just a little way, but saw these large pink balls hanging from a tree-lined pathway. We had to check it out. We were "lost" anyway. Might as well go see something fun.



It opened up into a small, pretty park with a pond, almost a nature reserve feel to it. Kept, but not groomed. There was a bench by the side of the pond. My feet were killing me (I should have brought socks!) and so I took my shoes of and we walked on the cool grass over to the bench.

The other side of the water was lined with Georgian-looking buildings, all homes or apartments. Some had created beautiful back yards that wound down to the water with gazebos and landings.  Merinda and I kept expecting to see a character from Jane Austen to wander near the bank, or come floating by on a small boat! There were swans, ducks, and a strange little water bird that would dive under the water and then come up someplace else. They were shaped like a small duck and were black, but had a wide, white stripe/oval on their face. I had a hard time getting a picture of them because it was as if they knew I was trying, and they would disappear under the surface just as I would snap.

It was such a calm, serene, surreal place. We just sat there looking out over the water, breathing in the fresh air. There were some young boys playing a friendly game of "football" (soccer) just behind us on the grass. I commented that if I had a sleeping bag, I would be more than content to just sleep right there, it was so beautiful! (and, to be honest, I really didn't want to walk anymore. We had walked for around 8 or 9 hours straight). 

Watch this video and you can see how relaxed we are! The sun is setting, it's quiet and peaceful, and we are tired.

Then suddenly, we heard the soccer ball kicked and "NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO!" We turned to see the ball flying towards the water and all the boys running after it, as it arced in the air. Joseph said, "It's going in! It's going in!" I saw a boy running with no slowing and said, "HE'S going in! He's going in!" and he did. Right into the water! His friends followed to the edge, watching and laughing. He got his ball though, and came out a little wet. They laughed, patted him on the back and played for just a few minutes more (probably cold now) before making there way back into their quiet neighborhoods. And we sat for a few more minutes in the silence.

Even the swans were relaxed on their little floating island. This one only raised his head at the "Ball-commotion."

 We seriously could have stayed there all night, but it was getting dark, and we figured we should start to find our way home.

Our Pathway out of the park to the Tube station. The trees were SO neat! And if that weren't cool enough, the birds were amazing! I had to try to record the sound. (realize this isn't great film making...just close your eyes and listen) :-)

Here is one more. I think it has better sound, but takes you on quite a visual ride...sorry about that! :-)

Joseph and Merinda

More of our tree-lined path.

 To be honest, we felt sad at the missed opportunity to huck some cheese, but it was such a beautiful, quiet place, in the end, we were glad we had gotten lost in Hampstead.