Alli took us along her route to work, walking by many well known brands and shops, as well as some charming restaurants and clothing stores. While we didn't stop in any of them, save Pizza Express (delicious.), the village definitely felt different from the other parts of London that I have experienced. For one thing, the streets criss cross, and are much narrower than the main streets in central London. But walking along the roads I found I felt something that was quite different, and nicer, than the rest of London. The area felt extremely homey and quaint. It was small and green and did not bear over the pedestrians in quite the same city-way that other parts of London can do.
After Alli's tour, we walked down Church Row, as prescribed by the BEP Handbook. The church at the end of the street was quite lovely, but not more so than the surrounding graveyard. We spent at least half an hour, if not more, wandering through the tombs, and it was so very peaceful. I loved reading over the different headstones, looking for names to recognize, though none I did. The most interesting one, however, was the tomb of John Harrison, which said that he invented the mechanism for keeping time in wristwatches and clocks. How fascinating that he's buried in Hampstead! I would love to spend more time in the graveyards, and hang out with the lovely dead people, but I don't have my work near there, so I'm not as fortunate as Alli, who was overjoyed and I'm sure will be returning.
As we walked up Holly Way (or Road...) we saw more (multi-million dollar) houses and gravestones. We stood outside Fenton House, and at the top of the hill we glimpsed a good view of Hampstead. Hampstead itself was a great little village. Filled with wealth and culture, and tons of small alleys with tiny shops and little apartments. If I had enough money, I'd think I'd like to live there one day. But for now, it's nice to know that I can visit.
Until next time,
Danny
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