Weekend Activities in the UK

We have just had a very busy and fun weekend in London. It began Friday night with a trip to the Reebok Gym at Canary Wharf for a game of badminton for David and a run and swim for Sue.  Fish and chips back at the apartment was a semi indulgent treat as it was the Waitrose version so much 'healthier' than the chip shop variety.

Saturday we headed to the Emirates Stadium to see Muse in concert. Hot dogs and beers were probably not the best preparation for our Sunday morning activity but in keeping with our aim to eat local food this weekend (not planned, but quite tasty).

Sunday we hired a zip car and drove out to Windsor for David to compete in the inaugural Royal Windsor Half Marathon Trail Run.  David had a great race finishing in 1hr 57mins with a big grin on his face.

While David toiled away, I went exploring the local area. Eton high street was very picturesque and walking to Eton college I passed some interesting shops including this men's clothing store specialising in Eton college apparel.  Windsor castle was very popular with the many tourists enjoying the sunshine that finally made an appearance. Unfortunately we didn't have time after the race to explore further but I think Windsor is well worth another visit.

It's a Bank Holiday in the UK tomorrow and Memorial Day in the US but we will be in the air for most of the day. By the time we land we will know if David's football team, Crystal Palace have won the playoff game at Wembley Stadium and are heading back to the Premiership League - please keep everything crossed friends!

Thankful for comfy walking shoes

Today I made my familiar pilgrimage to Marks and Spencer at Marble Arch. Taking the tube from Canary Wharf to Bond Street, it's a short five minute walk to M&S for a lunch break and a touch of shopping before getting my walking exercise for the day.

Walking down Oxford Street is always a challenge due to the sheer numbers of people and today in the drizzly rain there was the added hazard of umbrellas with people walking along texting.  I was able to make Rebecca jealous by texting her photos of the many shops including the huge H&M and Top Shop I passed before turning onto Regent Street.

At the end of Regent Street I reached Piccadilly Circus and the ever popular tourist spot of the Eros statue dating back to 1893. There were quite a few large groups of student tourists in this area today, perhaps they had visited the nearby entertainment center called the Trocadero or one of the cinemas at Leicester Square. If you are in town when a movie premier is taking place, this is the area to be to see the stars walk the red carpet.

I wound my way around Trafalgar Square passed the National Gallery (free entrance so well worth a visit) and St Martin in the Fields (think Mary Poppins feeding the birds) and walked up the Strand passing The Savoy Hotel and Simpsons before taking a left towards Covent Garden. The numerous market stalls and the street entertainers were attracting the crowds despite the inclement weather but luckily some of this area is undercover.

A quick stop at the huge Apple store by the Royal Opera House before heading back to the tube to get back home rounded out my day of exploring. Not sure how many miles I walked today, but Im thankful that I have comfy walking shoes especially when navigating the cobblestones that seem to be everywhere.

Such a Tourist Today

I could not motivate myself to go for a run today so thought I would go for a long walk instead and take my camera to share some tourist spots. After about 3 miles from my apartment in Canary Wharf I get to this amazing view of Tower Bridge and the new Shard building (London's newest attraction so advance booking recommended).

The Tower Bridge Exhibition is an hour and a half tour that includes a film about the history of the bridge. There are various tour options that can be prebooked. Click here for more info

Continuing along the Thames Walkway (worth a visit in its own right and I have only explored a small part of the route) I spotted the HMS Belfast now a floating museum open daily from 10-6. I haven't done this tour yet but it sounds quite interesting so might have to explore further one day soon.
Next of interest is the Millennium Bridge, a steel suspension bridge for pedestrians to cross the Thames opened in June 2000. The bridge was nicknamed 'the wobbly bridge' as for the first two days it was opened users complained of a strange swaying motion. The bridge was promptly closed and took two years to fix the problem before reopening in 2002.

On the South Bank of the Thames is the Tate Modern Museum. Open daily with free admission (except for special exhibitions) it is the most visited modern art gallery in the world and housed in a converted power station which makes for impressive exhibition halls.

Next to the Tate is The Globe Theatre  The reconstructed theatre opened in 1997 and now houses a theatre, an exhibition area with tours available.

On the North bank of the bridge you will find St Paul's Cathedral If you plan to visit the cathedral then book your tickets online to save time and money. If you have a good head for heights and don't mind climbing a lot of steps then a visit to the whispering gallery is fun and if you continue further up you get a great view of London.

Now Im resting my feet as my round trip today was 8.5 miles but I will be exploring another part of London tomorrow!

Isle of Dogs Training Run

With only a week left before the Windsor half marathon today was David's last long training run so we decided to do the Isle of Dogs loop twice, about 10 miles. I took my new bike so that I could take some photos (and not hold up Davids pace) although I think I can see the appeal of padded shorts now!

The route takes us around the wharf and the Thames so plenty of opportunities for photos. Heading towards Greenwich I snapped the The Royal Naval College Originally Greenwich Palace built by Henry VII then transformed by Henry VIII into a sophisticated royal residence.

The newly renovated Cutty Sark can once again be seen from the water and now resides in dry dock in Greenwich. The Cutty Sark is the most famous tea clipper ever built and one of only two to survive. The clipper was launched in 1869.

The O2 is always a spectacular site. If you look close at the photo you can see the Emirates Air Cable Car that now links the two sides of the river.

We also run past The Billingsgate Market famous for its fresh fish. Open Tuesday-Saturday from 4am - 9.30am so you need to be an early bird to shop at the 40+ merchants that set up each trading day.

My last photo today is one of the "beaches' along the Thames. Not that enticing I know but quite a fun concept to see a 'beach' in the middle of the city.

Happy running my friends.

Remembering the sunshine

It is pouring with rain in Houston, and I mean torrential rain, possible flooding and huge thunder and lightening strikes over the city. Internet is out at the house, the Satellite has given up the ghost and it feels like midnight as it's pitch black. So what's a girl to do but head to Starbucks for a latte and reminisce about the Caribbean sunshine I was enjoying a few short weeks ago.

David and I recently returned from our first Celebrity Cruise on board The Summit. The cruise began in Puerto Rico then sailed to Barbados, Antigua, St Lucia, St Maartin, and St Thomas. Our United flight got us to the port in plenty of time and the online registration made the boarding process very easy without the usual herding one associates with cruising. I was thrilled with our suite and our steward Dominic who turned out to be so attentive and brought goodies to our room everyday (not so good for the waistline but delicious)

We enjoyed excursions in most ports. In Barbados we went on a catamaran to swim with the turtles, in St Lucia we enjoyed extreme zip lining, Antigua was a beach day, and St Maartin was a jeep tour of the island (Dutch and French sides) and a two person powerboat tour which David loved and I managed to hold on and not fall off. As it was carnival day in St Thomas when we docked we decided to have a gym and spa day onboard.

The cruise also gave us an opportunity to meet Jason Bishop, the illusionist that Amy works for when on dry land. Jason's show is very entertaining and his sharp wit makes it a very fun show to watch. It was a little strange to bump into Jason and Kim a couple of times in the restaurant but they were so gracious to chat with us about their work and Amy's participation that it made us very proud of our daughters achievements.

Although we enjoyed our Celebrity cruise I think we both agreed that our next sea venture would probably be on a smaller vessel.I guess that gives David an excuse to do some vacation research (his favourite pastime and one that I greatly encourage).

PS - as I set this blog up while in London the spelling reverts to UK English which is really making me chuckle for some reason

Hello Humid Houston

I'm back in Houston for a few days and so back to my familiar running routes around my neighbourhood. The jet lag is rather killing me and being wide awake at a ridiculously early hour it seemed like a great idea to get my run ticked off the to do list.

However, I have discovered that running in the dark is quite challenging. Even on my good days I do not lift my feet that high while running and so the uneven surfaces, loose tree limbs and pot holes that are spread over my route become an obstacle course and lets just say that I did two spectacular 'almost face plants' that got my heart racing and the air a little blue!  Luckily no one was around to witness my graceful escapades as at 5am there really aren't too many other mad people out breaking a sweat.

The other problem with running in Houston is the insane levels of humidity and temperature, today at 5am it was 72 degrees - seriously! It doesn't take much to make me melt but I'm obviously a very picky runner as I like the temperatures cool, a flat running service and a little breeze to help me along. But I keep plodding on as I cant let David and Greg beat me in our online Nike challenge and I'm hoping to persuade Christel to join our challenge soon to get a little girl power going. My Houston runners are coming to the end of their life having done almost 400 miles so I get to go shoe shopping today for another colourful pair of Asics to help me see my feet in the dark and hopefully protect my bones from the abuse of running 100+ miles a month.

Happy running my friends

Canary Wharf to London Bridge

My favorite running route from the apartment in London takes me alongside the Thames, winding my way through parks and by canals, and ending up at London Bridge. Each way is around 3 miles but there is some debate amongst my running buddies if a break at the bridge (perhaps even a coffee) means I should class this as two runs or one - you know who you are Greg and David...

Tucked behind London Bridge is St Katherine's Wharf and in the May sunshine the crowds were out in force making it a little tricky for us runners.

The Dickens Inn is a reconstructed wooden warehouse that originally stood on the side of the Thames, thought to have housed tea and dates back to the 1700's. The Inn as it stands today was opened in May 1976 by the grandson of the famous author Charles Dickens and is one of the most successful pubs along the River Thames.

The Good Food Market was in full force when I ran past on Friday and made me wish I had more time to explore as the smells were amazing. It was quite an eclectic mix as I noticed a Haggis stall next to a Turkish deli and a fresh fudge stand. David and I ran past the Inn again the following day and with the market cleared away the area had a very different atmosphere. 

Hello to Blog Land Again

Following another bout of jet lag, I thought I would start to Blog again and document all the amazing places that I get to visit.

I am in London this week and so thought I would follow up on a conversation I had with my girlfriends at the weekend. We were discussing the new tv series on PBS television called Mr Selfridge. The series chronicles the life of Harry Gordon Selfridge from his childhood in America to his founding of Selfridge's in 1909.

I have not seen any of the tv series yet but I did buy the book Shopping, Seduction and Mr Selfridge by Lindy Woodhead and am thoroughly enjoying reading about his beginnings at Marshal Fields in Chicago to his then revolutionary ideas of how a department store should be run.

I usually visit Selfridge's on my visits to London as it has a Nespresso store in the basement and I like to stock up on new pods to take back to Houston. Yesterdays beautiful sunny weather certainly brought out the crowds on Oxford Street but Charlotte managed to snap this shot before we went into the store to explore. Perhaps the coffee tasting added to my sleeping problems ......