Where to Havana? The bandstand built in 1869 for Kensington Gardens was moved to Hyde Park in 1886 and still has concerts. On Sunday Here to Havana were doing their stuff.
This is what they do – son, mambo, rumba, cha-cha-cha and bugalu. But on a warm Sunday morning it is as well to rehydrate before exposing oneself to so much Cuban sunshine, and where better than The Grenadier.
It is near Hyde Park Corner and a favourite for tourists. In its hey-day it had a separate bar specifically to make Bloody Marys. Now it’s a curiosity, worth a visit but not a detour.
But we must crack on, after two pints of Estrella, a Catalan lager that I find refreshing. Why don’t I drink British ales? There is more choice and the quality is higher than it was when I used to swill that brown muck. Simply, I don’t like the taste of good beer while I do like cold lager. However, I appreciate wine and its many flavours.
If you live on Cheap Lane you could do worse than check out the concerts in London’s parks, pack a picnic and a corkscrew and collapse in a deckchair. As it happens we went to Ognisko for lunch: cold beetroot soup and salt beef salad for me. London may be a bit warm but there are plenty of ways to enjoy the weather and everything that London has to offer.