Boulder to London

Today started out a little rough.  We were woken up around 8:00 by the neighbors’ little girl throwing an absolute tantrum on the floor above us.  This isn’t the first time it has happened and for a while, we thought that they were playing basketball up there.  Our theory now is that the little girl gets upset, screams at the top of her lungs, lays on her stomach, and kicks her feet against the floor repeatedly.  Apparently this does not bother the parents as it goes on for quite a while and happens a little too frequently.  Since we were wide awake, we got up, went and grabbed some coffee and did a little laundry before heading out to Richmond.  It was a good thing that we planned on going out for the day because at about 11:00, a party started upstairs which must have included 10 - 20 small children playing rugby on the floor above our living room.  Melisse was livid, so I hurried her out the door and told her that I’d speak to the neighbors tonight when we got back.

We caught the train to Richmond which is a little village in SW London right on the Thames.  Richmond is home to a huge park, many historic buildings and all the beauty that anyone could want.  The train ride was about 10 minutes and after another 10 minute walk, we were at the river.  The little downtown area was full of shops, cafes, pubs and everything else one could want.  We joked about moving there as it had a really nice feel to it.  The people seemed a little younger and a little more active then we have found in most of London, but it might have just been the tourist crowd there on the weekend.  We walked about a mile and a half up the river on this beautiful tree-lined trail, and later stopped for lunch at a great waterfront grill.  I’m not sure if it was the sunshine, the water, or the cold beer, but I think it was my favorite place we’ve visited so far.  Check out the album on my facebook!