Richmond

On the recommendation of a local cooking store employee (she also gave me a few other tips on the area - it's so nice to chat with someone willing to talk up the neighborhood!) I took the bus down to Richmond.  The bus ride was easy and shorter than taking the tube into central London.  AND it's fun to sit on the upper deck ;)  

First this was the scenery:

But it quickly turned into this:

And soon I was in Richmond, a city located on the Thames known for it's wealthy inhabitants and cute shops. I had a great time just walking around and soaking up the sun (I know!)  I may have gone into a few of those cute stores but managed to keep my spending urges to a pot of tea.  It was a nice afternoon diversion.

I innocently decided to get a closer shot of this monument.....

...only to discover the babies have NO FACES! Aaah!

This is the only remaining part of Richmond Palace, residence of various royals:

I think people live here now.  Jealous.