Life, Books, Coffee, Death and Blue Skies. What a way to spend a Sunday.

So yesterday, a 'blue sky' day, I went exploring my neighbourhood again...this time heading up the posh end ooo er...I started in Waterlow Park

which I can't wait to sit in during Summer time and read a good book (or pretend to) so I can people watch (one of my favourite occupations :)).  One of the many things I love about London is the large preserved 'green bits' it has always within a stones throw of where ever your living. 

I loved and miss this

about not living in Greenwich but as the

Waterlow Park

Olympics of 2012 fast approaches I am so very glad I got out of that area.  I don't think I could bear to see the destruction of 120 year old oak trees under the nasty hand of tourism and capitalism.  Anyways...there I go ranting again...after walking through the park I ended up in Highgate Village which is very pretty with book stores and cafes and nice bars.   Next time I promise to take pics of the view, the shops and the people.  

After buying even more books I didn't need and drinking more coffee I also didn't really need but can't seem to wake up without, I arrived at the gates of Highgate Cemetery.  With perfect timing I caught the last guided tour of the day at 3pm. (they close at 4)

I originally went to see the grave of Karl Marx (what can I say anthropology student) but when I saw this tour I thought why the hell not?  Highgate Cemetery is massive, unbelievably huge consisting of two sides, the East and West.  The tour I did was the West side with Marxy boy being buried on the East.  (brap brap...sorry couldn't get that out of my head)

Cemetery tour...dark and gruesome you think? Very typical of you Mel ;),I hear you say?  Ah but no, wrong you are, not at all dark and gruesome it was (Yoda I have become)...it was incredibly fascinating, the guide (a very cute goth girl) was extremely informative, interesting and knew her graves, her history and her boxing...

George Wombwell's Tomb

Or should I say pugilism??  

All this for only £7 (which incidentally goes to the upkeep of the cemetery..you can't say fairer than that).

I loved it and I'm definitely going to go back probably with the bossy blonde to check out the East Side.  What did I love about it?  Besides the history, well there's the beauty of the sculptures and the architecture, the nature of the area has become almost symbiotic with the man made graves, ivy intertwining with marble, trees growing around headstones.

It was just simply, beautiful.....

Egyptian Row

...but it wouldn't be me if I didn't imagine the annoying, robust looking (Mel subtext) German lass in our tour group (taking really noisy photos,answering her mobile phone after being told to switch it off and lagging behind so the tour guide had it to keep pausing for her)getting dragged off into the crypts by the undead and eaten alive, with the rest of the tour completely unaware as her screams were muffled by rotting, decomposing flesh. 

Ahhhh...it really was quite a wonderful way to spend a 'blue sky' Sunday afternoon.....however that would've made it just slightly more amusing for me. :)