See Me Now

  When I was in London ~24 years ago I didn’t ride The London Eye for some reason. I’ve regretted it ever since so when planning this trip, an Eye ticket was my first purchase. Yesterday was the big day, and I’ve finally got this out of my system.   It was low-key fun. The wheel rotates at a glacial pace and takes ½ hour for a single circuit giving plenty of time to walk around within the stable pod and take in the views. Before the Eye, I visited the ChurchillWar Rooms which are amazing. It’s a tour through the extensive basement headquarters from which Churchill and his officers and staff managed Britain’s involvement in World War II. Apparently, on VE day, everybody just got up and walked out. The doors were closed and locked with everything left as is and supposedly, that’s how we’re seeing it all today.   The visit comes with a well-done audio guide, and there’s a room dedicated to the entirety of Churchill’s life. I spent around 2 hours there and could have sp...

  It’s Tuesday and my second full day in London. I arrived on Sunday afternoon without incident and got an immediate reality check: I’m in the big city now. I knew this, of course, but after Bath’s charm and easy pace I had to give myself an attitude adjustment as I trekked along typical city grit to my lodgings which turned out to be on the 16 th floor. My apartment/room is the antithesis of my circa 1726 room in Bath. This one is in a modern high rise with sleek furnishings and a bewildering series of touch pad controls for the lights, air, kitchenette appliances, and window shades.   It’ll take me my whole two-week stay to sort them out.    I settled in, visited a grocery store for breakfast supplies, and surveyed the immediate area.   Depending on which direction you walk, you’ll find either mid-scale pubs and restaurants bordering the Paddington Basin, or a grimy and slightly intimidating stretch of Edgware Road (which follows the straight path of an a...

  I’m still pretty jet-lagged. In addition, substantial overnight street noise (reportedly from Bath University students just arriving for “freshie” week) has repeatedly interrupted my fragile slumbers so I’m kind of a mess.   Even so, I forced myself into those morning runs which, despite my being bleary, started my days off well. I had spied a footpath bordering the Avon and headed that way early Friday morning.   Instead, I found myself on the old towpath that runs alongside the Kennet & Avon Canal. I hadn’t even known the canal existed so was delighted to discover this scenic, traffic-free, and peaceful place to run. There are many narrowboats – people’s residences – docked along the canal, and pretty properties backing up to it. At the end near town, there’s a series of impressive locks used to get your boat to/from the Avon.              Later, I headed out for my walking day heading first to Alexandra Park which is ...