Going to Hampstead Heath

On the way to Hampstead Heath, we took a detour through a park in our neighborhood. It's called Mountsford and it's enormous. There are so many public parks and gardens here, each very different from the last. This entrance went up a hill via a paved road, past a playground and dog run and quickly turned into something very pastoral complete with several unmanicured meadows, which gave them a more rural feel. 

Just past one such clearing we ran across this strange obelisk. I walked through the brush probably, on a little fox path, to get a closer look. It's an unmarked wooden totem pole-like structure. Very mysterious.

Here we exited through these gates to the street and a double decker to take us to the Heath. On the gates was a little sign that read, if you get locked in at night, call this number and someone will come straightaway to release you, or some such metaphorical poetry.

Here's a view from the top of the double decker of one end of the market that sets up every day at the Lewisham shopping center. 

Below is the servants' quarters, now a very nice cafe, at Kennington Palace (or something like that) at the Heath. We got there too late to visit the palace proper but there's supposedly a Vermeer in there. I'm hoping we can go back.

Leaving the palace there is a view of the city way in the background.

Here are the walled gardens aka the kitchen gardens of Kennington.

And some lambs ears which I think are pointier than the ones in our yard. I took this picture to compare later.

We had dinner with Kirsten and A's old college friend Nita who is brilliant but somehow may vote for trump. Her argument was beautiful, crystalline, even. She is such an incredible speaker I just sat there transfixed. I couldn't repeat her reasoning if I tried, but she said it so well it was worth listening to. And then I realized she must have been away from the US way too long to come up with such a statement. Anyway, I forgot to take pictures, so you will have to believe me when I tell you that the food was delicious, the atmosphere bright and cozy (these don't have to be mutually exclusive) and the company very engaging.