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‘ Even at midday on a broiling hot Sunday
afternoon, I can still find a nice roomy spot ’
years ago and is now here with her daughter and niece, as
she offers me olives, strawberries and crisps. “It’s
refreshing that it’s not like that here.”ALWAYS A FREE SPOT
Anyone looking for exotic cuisine and complex
nonalcoholic beverages will find what they’re looking for
on a Sunday at Victoria Park Market in East London’s
Victoria Park. When I was still living in Amsterdam, the
Netherlands, I would often find myself crammed between
joint-smoking tourists and groups of rosé-drinking
students in the city’s Vondelpark. Not here. Even at midday
on a broiling hot Sunday afternoon, I can still find a nice
roomy spot. This relative calm is also reflected in the
statistics: The Vondelpark draws ten million visitors
annually, whereas the nearly twice as large Victoria Park
only welcomes nine million people. The most important tip
is to arrive hungry because the selection on offer at the
market is huge. In the mood for noodles? No problem. A
steak roll or quiche? It’s all here. Craving something
sweet? There are dozens of stalls offering cakes and pies.
And with vendors offering fresh produce, cheese and fish,
you can even do your weekly shop here. There’s a stall
that sells seven kinds of Scotch eggs—the Scottish
specialty where a hard-boiled egg is wrapped in sausage
meat and breadcrumbs and then deep-fried—with
variations including offal, chorizo or haddock. Another
vendor is selling Sicilian cannelloni, while an enthusiastic
stallholder gives me a taste of his Bloody Mary mix. A bit
further down, Tom Pryor is stirring a pan with gusto. He
ladles some of the liquid into a cardboard cup and hands it
to me. “Chicken bouillon, made from the carcass, which
contains all sorts of healthy nutrients,” he says. “No
hormones or antibiotics are used and the chickens come
from one of the best farms in the country. You can taste
the goodness.” Pryor also sells his bouillon in bottles and
it comes with a serious price tag: £15 (around US$19) for
one liter. “Some people are shocked when they hear this,
for sure,” he says. “But I explain that this is just what it
costs to make something that is truly good. Besides, these
days, more and more people want to know where >the land for recreation when they were spending time in the
city. Hunting and horseback riding were favorite pastimes.
With the growth and urbanization of London in the 19th
century, the calls for more green spaces for the general
public grew louder, and more Royal Parks were opened to
the public. These days, all eight are open to everyone, with
Richmond Park being the largest of them. Actually, ‘gigantic’
is more accurate. You can walk around it without seeing
anyone else. Many people bring a picnic blanket, look for a
quiet spot, and spend an entire day here. I discover just how
big the park is when my feet hurt after walking for a couple
of hours and I look for the park exit. After consulting Google
Maps, I decide to take an Uber back to civilization. The idea
that you can’t walk an entire park is completely alien to me.
After a bit of Googling, I see how badly I had underestimated
the size of Richmond Park. Next time, I’ll rent a bike.A QUICK DIP
On the other side of the city, in northwest London,
Hampstead Heath is a popular spot. It’s another place that
makes you immediately forget you’re in a busy metropolis.
With its vast hills, grassy areas and ponds, it’s the ideal place
to spend a day out in nature. And have a refreshing dip: At
Hampstead Heath, you can swim outdoors year-round.
The real die-hards even venture here in the winter. There is
one Bathing Pond for men, one for women and one that is
mixed. The price of admission is £2 (approximately
US$2.50). The women’s Bathing Pond is a nice place to
spend the day; topless sunbathing is allowed, but taking
photos isn’t. Smoking and alcohol are also prohibited.
Although there are lifeguards at the Bathing Ponds, the
rest of the facilities are very basic: wooden changing areas
to change into or out of your swimsuit, and you can lay
your towel down on paved areas or patches of grass. The
water may look dark and a bit murky, but that’s the charm
of this place. There aren’t many rules either, and health
and safety regulations haven’t quite gained the upper hand
here yet. The lack of places selling food and drinks is also
noticeable. “In London, we’re used to the idea that
everything is within arm’s reach,” says Zoe Goodchild,
who used to come regularly when she lived nearby 30