We found a book in our apartment titled "Walking London," so we decided today to follow the walking tour around Richmond. We learned about the neighborhood where we are living and really enjoyed being outdoors and the scenery. The weather is just about perfect, about 75 degrees and mostly sunny, so it was a great day for a long walk. We started near the Richmond Green that used to host jousting matches in Tudor times. We saw the old and beautiful brick homes that were homes to the queen's ladies on Lady-in-Waiting Lane and walked under the arch that is nearly all that is left of the former royal palace here. Then we walked up the hill to the Terrace Gardens that look out over the fields and trees to the River Thames. This is a high rent district up here. We walked past Mick Jagger's home, Downe House, and saw Pete Townshend's home, The Wick, just down the block. The views are spectacular from the top of Richmond Hill all the way to the Thames.

Walking a bit further, we came to the gate of Richmond Park . It was created in 1637 for deer hunting by Charles I and about 600 deer still live in it. We saw one very large, fat buck just nibbling on sweet grass and ignoring the tourists walking on the path, pointing and talking about it. We continued on to the highest point in the park called Henry's Mound where King Henry VIII sat his horse and watched for a flare from London in the distance to let him know his wife, Anne Boleyn, had been beheaded at the Tower in 1536. We could see all the way to the building's of London from this vantage point. We walked further in the park, stopping for lunch on the terrace of Pembroke Lodge where Queen Victoria's Prime Minister, Lord John Russell, lived. His grandson, Bertrand Russell, spent his childhood here. The grounds and view are so gorgeous that I can hardly describe the beauty of this park.

We then walked down the hill and out of the park into the village of Petersham. This is a very beautiful village full of old and majestic mansions . We walked past Montrose House, Petersham House and a multitude of other mansions that have stood here since the late 1600's. On our way to Ham House we passed the London Polo Club and saw two riders coming off the polo field. The sign did say that visitors were welcome to watch the polo matches every Saturday afternoon in the summer. Ham House was just around the corner, a beautiful mansion built in 1637 and given to the Earl of Dysart by Charles I. It's now owned by the National Trust and open to visitors. We declined to tour the house and continued our walk along the Thames, passing the cows grazing at Petersham Farms. We ended our walk at the White Cross Pub and had a cider and a beer to relax. We covered about 5.5 miles today and are relaxing at home tonight with a movie and dinner in our own apartment.