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Found near St Pauls, Postman's Park is a quiet retreat that will keep you captivated for hours. A former burial ground, it has since 1900 served as a Memorial to Heroic Self Sacrifice. Dozens of memorial tablets line the walls in poignant memorial of ordinary and otherwise forgotten people, who died saving the lives of others.
King Edward Street, London EC1
Google map: bit.ly/ykjudK
The Biodiversity garden is a precious, new jewel in the botanical crown of the Cape Floral Kingdom, which is the smallest and hottest of biodiversity hotspots worldwide.
The Green Point Urban Park in Cape Town is oh-so-accessible, sandwiched between Signal Hill, the oldest lighthouse in South Africa, and the iconic football stadium of World Cup 2010 fame.
Set within this, the Biodiversity Garden celebrates all that is unique about the Cape and its flora, where wanderers are shown the interconnectedness of life and encouraged to 'Make a Difference'.
What’s not to love about this appeal? Perfect for a sunset amble or a morning wake up wander. Big enough to seriously stride around the large circular lawn area, pound the running paths, work out at the trim park or just meander along the wetland walk, among the more 300 local fynbos plant species.
Why the Biodiversity Garden works for me?
The garden is truly laid out ‘for all’ – ages, activities, levels of botanical interest as much as physical mobility …
The signs are crafted to casually inform, the storyboards are easy reads, the plants labels let everyone ‘get the picture’- effortlessly …
So much thought has gone into how the biodiversity message gets across – they ‘show’ things, and ‘tell’ stories, rather than facts …
Botanic biomes and endemic rarities are seamlessly woven into ‘demonstration gardens’, alongside responsible gardening practices …
Threats, like agriculture and alien invasive plants, are dealt with in bite size pieces, and drill down consequences …
Interconnectedness indeed!
www.capetownpartnership.co.za/green-point-urban-park-open-to-public/
Located in the heart of Chicago and parallel to the famous Michigan Avenue is such an impressive creation that is not to be missed when you are travelling in Chicago.
The remarkable and exciting architectural structure that is Millennium Park offers free concerts, exhibitions and tours for all of Chicago and boasts an amazing location for any event to be seen. Experiences that will not be forgotten as you sit and watch the concerts and plays in awe of the buildings and backdrop around you.
It is a lively place, flaunting stunning scenery and is a fantastic spectacle that represents Chicago at its best, promoting the varied culture found within the city as well as the clean, friendly and unique atmosphere. Millennium Park offers in my opinion the best setting for any theatrical play or concert to be held.
explorechicago.org/city/en/millennium.html
+1 312-742-1168
Google map: bit.ly/ojcyg0
When you are walking through the parks in Stockholm, keep an eye out for allotments: they are nothing like the UK equivalents. More like small cottages with beautiful cottage gardens. Take a walk around, enjoy the atmosphere and the people taking a break from the city.
Tantolunden and Vitabergsparken, Sodermalm.
www.visitstockholm.com/en/To-Do/Attractions/tantolunden/1169
Google map: bit.ly/rmsE5i
Riegrovy Sady in Prague 2, is an excellent place to while away a sunny afternoon. Its gentle grassy slopes offer excellent views northwards over the city towards Petrin Hill. It definitely has a touch of Primrose Hill cool about it and is popular among Czech and expat couples and friends.
The park is well served by drinking establishments. Mlíkárna is my favourite beer garden. It’s open from early April until late October and, while it can be crowded on a sunny weekend day, offers a takeaway (“sebo” in Czech) option so you can enjoy your beer in a quieter spot.
At the weekends Mlíkárna also has an outdoor barbeque offering sausages (klobasa) and other snacks.
Riegrovy Sady, 120 00 Praha 2, Vinohrady
Nearest metro: Jiřího z Poděbrad or Namesti Miru (walk down Mánesova and turn onto Třebízského)
Nearest tram: Vinohradská tržnice (11)
Monday – Sunday 10.00 to 22.00
Google map: bit.ly/oQi0st
This is much larger than i had anticipated and could be a full day trip with a picnic. The walk or preferably a cycle around the water's edge is a good starting point but there is so much more to it. Go up to the viewing point to see Vancouver beneath you - cruise liners and sea planes etc. A great way to start a Canadian adventure.
vancouver.ca/parks/parks/stanley/
Google map: bit.ly/nwh96q
In February 2010, Southwark Council planted 40 fruit and nut trees in a corner of Warwick Gardens.
A fascinating, illustrated board, complete with map, explains when the different varieties of apple, pear and nut trees were introduced to the UK and by whom. Alongside the regular Cox's, Bramleys and Blenheim Oranges, there are more unusual varieties, such as the Vranja. A short message reads that residents can take one or two pieces of fruit home for their own use, but as the trees are only a few years old, they may have to wait a while.
In in the meantime, if starving for fruity vitamins, visitors to the park can also find blackberry bushes by the railway line and a large cob nut tree towards the main road.
Warwick Gardens
Lyndhurst Way, Peckham, London SE15
Google map: bit.ly/nMOobt
It's the Domincan Republic's most unknown but most must-see national park. It's named the Three Eyes park because it has three lagoons inside three caves. There's also an open lagoon which is not considered an eye by the locals. I completely recommend this as it's so breathtaking to see such a beautiful sight so hidden away. You can get boat trips and guided tours.
You might think there's nothing more to Lucas Gardens than an elegant, Zen-like, ornamental garden and a few straggly weeds. However, venture into the Victorian park, past the strategically-arranged boulders and you'll discover that Lucas Gardens stretches back as far as the eye can see. It contains vast areas of grassland, where locals spread out and sunbathe, kick a football about or have a picnic, and finishes up in an elaborate children's playground. All that's missing is a ping pong table, so come on Boris, where are you with your Wiff-Waff project?!
Lucas Gardens
Peckham Road, Camberwell, SE5
Buses: 12, 36, 171, 436 to Southwark Town Hall
Google map: bit.ly/nLjSgd
Most travelers to Amsterdam will have heard about Vondelpark, the city’s answer to New York’s Central Park (on a much smaller scale, of course). We’ll revisit the pleasures of Vondelpark in a later post, but for now let’s fast forward to a lesser-known urban green space called Beatrix Park.
Located south of the city and nestled behind the RAI Conference Center, it’s an easy 15-minute ride from the city center along the Amstel River (or even quicker if you head down the center of the map along Ferdinand Bolstraat), Beatrixpark is an absolute gem. It is in direct contrast to the blanket-to-blanket crowd shoehorned into Vondelpark.
At Beatrixpark – named after the Dutch Queen Beatrix - you can park yourself on the grass along the canal, watching boaters on their sloops putter along, or head to the center of the park with more quiet corners, tree-lined trails and open space than you can imagine in this busy city. The park itself has quite a history, starting off in the 1930s and undergoing a brief identity change with the Nazi occupation before resuming its Beatrixness. It really feels like a neighbourhood playground, complete with the coolest swingset you or your kids have ever seen. It even has a group to ensure its heritage and beauty stay intact, the Friends of Beatrixpark: www.vriendenbeatrixpark.nl/html/nieuws/home.html.
Station-Zuid WTC, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Walk/Bike - from the RAI congress centre, facing the main entry to the right and turn left direction the Amstelhal of the RAI. Pass in front of this building and behind the canal you will see the park - it is located at the rear all exhibit halls.
Tram - line 5, exit on the Beethovenstraat - stop Stadionweg; walk left along Stadionweg, turn right into the Diepenbrockstraat. Cross the bridge. There will be two small passages into the park on your right – they are located at the number 15 and the number 9 of the street. It is about 5 minutes walking from the tram stop.
Car: exit the A10 ring on the RAI exit. Drive into the city in front of the RAI congress centre, turn left direction the Diepenbrockstraat; continue for 200m and you will see the park on your left. Metered parking in the street.
Google map: bit.ly/pmKgVv
When I tell friends I know of a haven of peace and tranquility in Peckham I am often met with raised eyebrows, but it does exist! Peckham Rye Park is a beautiful oasis located to the south of the bustling, noisy streets.
Peckham was mentioned in 1087 in the Doomsday Book, when it was called Pecheha, an Anglo Saxon word meaning 'village among the hills'.
During the reign of Henry 1, Peckham was a farming village and the land was used for growing crops and fruit. By the 18th century it was famous for its melons, figs and grapes.
In 1767, William Blake visited Peckham Rye and had a vision of angels in an oak tree. The ''Angel Oak', as it was later called, has since disappeared
The park's original layout opened to the public in 1894. There is a large lake and several smaller ponds alive with noisy ducks and geese, a Japanese garden, arboretum, bowling green and woodland walks. My favourite spot is in the Sexby Gardens where plots of lavender give off a wonderfully soporific, mid-summer ambience.
During the Second World War, temporary huts were erected to detain Italian prisoners of war. One still remains, located next to the café.
Peckham Rye Park
Peckham, London SE22 0LR, +44(0)20 7525 1052
Open until 20.30 during the summer
Bus 12 to Peckham Rye
Google map: bit.ly/nBHHNT
Situated on the edge of Peckham Rye Park and right in the middle of Peckham Rye Common, this cafe is a fantastic place for a bite to eat, an ice cream or a sit down in the shade. Gone are the days of stale, curled up sandwiches and lukewarm coffee, now there are pitta, ciabatta, all-day breakfast butties, Rye burgers and tasty wraps. The ice cream comes from Jude's in Hampshire and I tried a divine blackcurrant crush sorbet. Very refreshing.
Strakers Road, Peckham Rye Common, London, SE15 3UA
+44(0)208 693 9431
www.cafeontherye.co.uk
Open Mon-Thur 09.00-17.30, Fri-Sun 09.00-18.00
Bus 12
If you want to cool off like a local -- and aren't a germophone -- take a dip in one of the city's 54 public outdoor swimming pools. They're free and open each day from 11am to 7pm. If you want to stick around before or after your swim, you'll probably be close to a handball court, playground, or at least a nice bench in the shade. Bring sunscreen!
I'm a recovering musical theater junkie, but even the cool kids love a good Stephen Sondheim musical. On July 21 at Brooklyn's Prospect Park Bandshell, not only can you watch the classic New York City musical "West Side Story," you can sing and dance in it, too. Choreographer Lawrence Goldhuber will teach the crowd some moves and song lyrics will be displayed on a giant outdoor screen. The show starts at 8 pm, but you can get stake out a spot starting at 7 pm. Get ready to rumble!
www.nyc-arts.org/events/13879/west-side-story-dance--sing-along
Google map: bit.ly/oIdF94
In the middle of one of Prague’s beautiful nineteenth century parks, Hlavickovy Sady, there is a gorgeous café situated in a Victorianesque pavilion. Previously a bowling alley and games room for the beautiful Grebovka Villa next door, Grebovka Pavilion offers a relaxed atmosphere and its ancient trees provide welcome shade in the summer.
Grebovka Pavilion is a great place to sit and relax following a gentle walk around the sloping park, which is also home to a vineyard, a Neo Renaissance palace and a grotto. It has inside and outside seating and offers coffee, tea, alcoholic beverages, and snacks including massive waffles and delectable ice-cream.
A wonderful place to spend a summer afternoon.
www.pavilongrebovka.cz/
Pavilon Grébovka, Havlíčkovy sady 2218,
120 00, Praha 2
+420 725 000 334
Open 10 .00 to 20.00 every day.
Nearest metro - Namesti Miru. Nearest tram - 4 or 22 to Krymska
Google map: bit.ly/nYP1dH
The Conservatory and park were established in the downtown core over 100 years ago. The Conservatory consists of six Victorian-style greenhouses containing flowers and plants from all over the world, ranging from seasonal to exotic tropical plants. In December, you can see over 40 different types of poinsettias; in spring, tulips, hyacinths, hydrangeas and Easter lilies; and in the summer, roses, and orchids, to name a few. The grounds are open every day of the year, from 10 AM until 5 PM.
www.torontobotanicalgarden.ca/tours/allangardens.htm
777 Lawrence Avenue East Toronto, Ontario M3C 1P2
+1 416 397 1340
Google map: bit.ly/klhR0r
The folk singer Ani DiFranco once called New York the "city that never shuts up." It's true. There's so much street noise and people noise and I-can't-even-hear-myself-think noise. You can escape it all ... outside of NYC. Or if that's too extreme, check out the Central Park Conservatory Garden on Fifth Avenue at East 105th Street open each day from 8 to dusk. The beautiful gated spot is divided into French, Italian, and English sections and full of flowers and benches. Sports equipment, bikes, boomboxes, and cellphones are prohibited, so bring your camera and bask in the quiet. When you're done, you can walk down Fifth Avenue and visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Guggenheim, and more.
www.centralparknyc.org/visit/things-to-see/north-end/conservatory-garden.html
Fifth Ave & 105th St, New York, NY, United States
+1 212 860 1382
Google map: bit.ly/iZjob0
Stromovka park is a ten minute tram ride from the bustling city centre but it feels like being in the countryside. Willows offer shade by the lake, dandelions and daisies give the park a romantic meadowy atmosphere. Stromovka is a perfect spot for biking, walking, rollerblading or simply relaxing. Plenty of places to get refreshments and ample space to lie down on a blanket and read a book.
The main entrances to Stromovka are from Holesovice, Bubenec and Cisarsky (Trojsky) Island. Reach Stromovka by trams 5, 12, 14, 15 or 17 to Vystaviste.
Google map: bit.ly/jWaVRt
A visit to Letná Park (Letenské sady) will help you work off all the dumplings and also reward you with a phenomenal view of Prague. Letna Park has space to run, walk skateboard and in-line skate, if you can still move after climbing the several hundred steps to get to the top! If you can't - it is also a lovely place to simply relax. The park includes several places to eat and drink including the small restaurant in the Hanavsky Pavilion. As you walk up to the top of the steps (directly above the north bank of Pa_í_ská Bridge and marked by the massive metronome that over looks the city), turn left and walk for about three minutes. You will come to a beautiful neo-baroque building with cast-iron detail. This building, the Hanavsky Pavilion, was originally created as a ceremonial hall for the Prague National Exhibition in 1891, and today is a bar and restaurant. Good prices, indifferent service, but a beautiful view over the southern side of the city, which makes the climb worthwhile.
Letenské sady 173, 170 00 Praha 7
+420 233 323 641
www.hanavskypavilon.cz/
The High Line, an elevated park made from an old freight railway, has been a popular place for sunbathing and people watching since it opened in June 2009. Section 2 of the park opened last week, expanding the park by 10 blocks. The park runs from Gansevoort Street in the Meatpacking District to 30th Street, with stair or elevator entrances every two or three blocks. The High Line's open from 7-11 throughout the summer. I'd suggest arriving early with a camera, a blanket, and sunscreen. Leave your bike, rollerblades, or skateboard behind, as they're prohibited.
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