July 18 (Saturday) Hampstead Heath, Lord of the Dance

Today Jim and Phyllis were visiting friends so Paul and Mary headed out on the Tube to visit Hampstead Heath in the north section of London.  The streets in this area are tree shaded with lovely old houses, many with nice size (for London) gardens in the front. 

After a short walk we made it to Hampstead Heath, a large park that is only minimally developed.  The park is heavily shaded and most of the walks are unfinished dirt paths. 

We walked to the top of Parliament Hill where there were great views of central London in the distance.  However, many of the trees had grown so tall that about half of the view was obstructed. 

After wandering the paths we were eventually able to find Kenwood House.  This is a large Palladian villa buried in the woods of Hampstead Heath and located on a hill overlooking a small lake and the park beyond. 

It was built in the mid to late 1700’s.  The house has a large Orangery at one end (originally used to grow orange trees). 

At the other end of the house was an awesome library filled with books.  It had a distinct gingerbread look with lots of ornate plasterwork.  It had recently been restored to the original colors which were pink and blue (could have been mistaken for a nursery except for the massive size).

The villa houses an extensive art collection including a self-portrait by Rembrandt, The Guitar Player by Vermeer, a Gainsborough and a number of portraits by Sir Joshua Reynolds.

After a long hike back to the Tube we headed to the hotel for a rest.  After dinner we all went to see Lord of the Dance – Dangerous Games…awesome Irish step dancing.