Extension of a Sunday in North London

Take a swim in the Ladies Bathing Pond

Have a little extra time during that epic adventure on Hampstead Heath? Well, on your way up to the Kenwood Estate, why not take a dip in a chilly freshwater oasis in the middle of the city? I supposed this one is a little unfair to the gents, but only a little since they can just head down the hill to take a dip in the Mens bathing pond. The ladies bathing pond is truly serene. It is surrounded on all sides by trees, so it is just you, the sky, and the other intrepid ladies who want to swim on a brisk, windy day late in the English summer. Oh, and the ducks, who at this point are so used to their pond companions that they just paddle around with you. And after you swim you can soak up the day's last rays of sunshine, as you lay in one of the "meditation gardens", where no cell phones are allowed. Okay, so there's a bunch of leaves and sticks floating on much of the surface, as well as duck feathers, and there may be a blue-green algae bloom warning that discourages you from swallowing water or indeed putting your mouth under water at all. But all of that is a pretty fair trade-off for getting to feel like you're enjoying a Maine vacation, just over a mile from your doorstep.

How to spend a Sunday in North London

Walk up to Kenwood House on the northern edge of Hampstead Heath
Remind yourself that this used to be the countryside; Kenwood House was the estate of the 1st Earl of Mansfield during the 18th century.  It was only in the nineteenth century, with the coming of the railway, that "London" began to reach this far north.  It was only around the turn of the nineteenth century that London's population exceeded one million.

Get lost wandering in Hampstead Heath
At almost 800 acres, there's a lot to get lost in.  Fortunately, there are landmarks throughout (roads, ponds, and the like).  This isn't a wide-open green space like Hyde or Regent's Park.  While there are open spaces, much of the Heath is wooded.  On the whole, it feels quite wild and you can almost forget that the hum of central London is just a few miles away.  Worst-case scenario if you get truly lost: walk in one direction long enough and you'll find yourself back in civilization.  Still, not a bad idea to bring a map and compass.

All right, so it wasn't actually our plan to get lost.  But it happened.  Twice.  As I said, it's wild and unruly on the Heath, with lots of twisting paths.  It's all too easy to lose your sense of direction.  But it does wonders for your sense of adventure.

If you find yourself in the neighborhood of North End (as we did), marvel at the fact that there are dirt-and-gravel roads in London.

Eat ice cream and look at the emus in Golders Hill Park

Though it's technically part of the Heath, it feels very different: manicured lawns, a "water garden," and the ubiquitous cafe.  You can't have a park in London without an accompanying cafe.  The mint chocolate chip ice cream tastes like summer.


Stroll down the hill to Hampstead
Always described as a "village-y" bit of London, it lives up to its reputation.  Outside the pub prices (see below), you could imagine yourself having just found a respite from a long walk in the countryside (something we know about).  A few Hampstead highlights:

- Have a pint at the Horsheshoe. The beer's not cheap (almost £4 a pint), but it's local (brewed downstairs) and good. Their wheat beer is the darkest I've seen.

- Hampstead Creperie. Not to miss. Seriously. We were just in Paris, and this blows the crepes we had in Paris out of the water (if my abstract gets accepted to a conference in Rennes, I'll be sure to report on how the Breton entry in the Great Crepe Competition of 2010 fares). Becca's choice: mushroom and cheese. Danny's honey and walnut.

After enjoying the charms of Hampstead, make your way home through South End Green, stopping for ingredients for dinner.  Our recommendation: roasted garlic and sage risotto with walnuts, sauteed zucchini, and a Greek-ish salad.  Finish it off with a caramel and cashew cheesecake and you've had yourself an awfully good day.

A summer evening

If you've been there before, you may have been able to tell that today's RPOTD is in Trafalgar Square. We've been enjoying our own quiet neighborhood so much that it was easy to forget that we live in London, a city which is home to not only 7.5 million of its own inhabitants, but 15 million international tourists and 10 million domestic tourists a year (in 2009, at least) (Visitlondon.com, Key Visitor Statistics). Well, if I had forgotten that we live in a major tourist destination, going to Trafalgar Square was a good reminder. But not necessarily in a bad way - it's fun to hear people speaking all different languages, all so excited to be in London, and to think "We live here!"

But anyway, on to yesterday evening, which was much more our pace. We made our first trip to the mixed bathing pond (not to be confused with the ladies or men's bathing ponds), of Hampstead Heath. For just 2 GBP you can spend as much time as you like swimming or sunbathing (cheek to cheek with British elders, youth and families) in these fresh water ponds. The water is chilly, but nothing a lifetime of swimming in Maine didn't prepare me for. The murkiness is a bit off-putting, though; you can barely see your hand 1 foot under water. But what a treat to swim in a pond in the middle of London!

This first swimming trip invited a celebration with a Pimms cup. Pimms is what you get in the summer in England instead of sangria. It's a dark, rather bitter drink, but when you mix 1 part Pimms with 3 parts "lemonade" (which is really Sprite without the lime and a bit more fresh-tasting) and fruit you get a delightful, summery cocktail. You can get it in the states, although it's a bit expensive. Those who came to our Commonwealth party 2 years ago may have gotten a taste!



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THE HEATH

First, RPOTD:


Aaron may have our panini press, but you will never quench my love of hot, melted cheese sandwiches. I've discovered that one of the joys of being home during the day is that I can make a fresh lunch every day if I want. And while a sandwich may not seem that exciting, a hot sandwich of farmer's market produce that has spent a few minutes under the grill is simply delightful. Also, the gas grill/broiler makes for a pretty cool photo:

Not as cool as Danny's photo of shakshuka cooking, but still not bad.

Okay, on to the topic of this evening's post, which is the makeshift backyard of north Londoners, Hampstead Heath. I'm trying not to let this blog become just a list of reasons why London is super awesome (I'm sure the longer we live here the more we'll find faults), but with Hampstead Heath it's hard to say anything less than glowing.

800 acres, miles of running trails, panoramic views of central London, a running track, an outdoor pool, 3 swimming ponds (!) and multiple wildlife ponds, countless rolling hills and small wooded copses, plus everything in the acres we haven't yet explored. It's clean (minus the dog poop) and breezy and attracts everyone from teenagers to elderly dog-walkers. Listing all of this is not enough...simply put, being just a few minutes inside Hampstead Heath makes you feel that you are in the English countryside. It is the perfect place for evening strolls or early morning walks. Our first (of many, I'm sure) evening walk last week afforded these sights:










A much-used, dog-friendly swimming hole; view south to central London; view north to Highgate; a particularly picturesque tree.











And tonight, it was the perfect place for a picnic! Lucky for us, Hampstead Heath is just a half a mile from our flat, making it our makeshift patio. And especially lucky is that there is an excellent wine shop ("Corks"), and it's sister gourmet food shop ("Forks"), right on the way. With the last serving of our food from last Saturday's farmers market, here's what we came up with:




















And around 9pm, we were treated to this beautiful sunset. The photograph doesn't do it justice, but there were pink clouds everywhere. Now on to Danny's birthday weekend!