Photo Pest: Hampstead Heath

Tuesday, October 25, 2022

Hampstead Heath

Santander, London's bike share program, enabled us to pedal (mostly uphill) to Hampstead Heath which I've seen mentioned in more than one gay novel as a great place to swim.

Before renting the bikes, we made a quick stop at the British Library. I expected a grand old building. Nope. Charmless, although the interior is nicer.

The library's website mentioned "Proud Words," an LGBT exhibit of which the front desk was unaware. It turned out to be included in their "Treasures." It's probably a little late to be taking exception to this characterization of AIDS.

In addition to Shakespeare's First Folio and some Beatles ephemera, the exhibit also displays the oldest surviving copy of the Magna Carta, the document that brought the rule of law to Britain in 1200. Just FYI: it enshrines anti-Semitism!

Our meandering route to Hampstead Heath took us through the neighborhood where Emma Thompson always has lived. We found the men's swimming pond quite by accident. Call it homing instinct. Women have their own pond.

It costs around $5 to swim under the watchful eye of a friendly lifeguard.

Just one brave soul braved the 55-degree water.

Finding Parliament Hill, with good views of Canary Wharf, the City of London and St. Paul's Cathedral, required asking directions of a dozen different people, each of whom had a different answer.

Better weather had been forecast but we found a bench and picnicked on our Pret-A-Manger take-out. Little did we know then that we'd soon be dining on the 32nd floor of the Shard, the pointed building on the far right.