This is what happens when I stay-up late watching BBC Countryfile. For those of you unfamiliar with this little broadcasting gem, Countryfile is a cheerful 'magazine' style program comprising of a host and a region/town in rural UK. Basically, it keeps us all refreshed regarding UK geography and reminds us that there is life outside of London. I happen to enjoy the program - how else would I have learned that Luton, besides being the location of the airport I constantly forget about, was also for many years famous for hat-making?
My initial intent for today was to plan a day trip excursion to Luton to see a man about a hat -after running my mile through the town center or park. Unfortunately, after 15 minutes of Luton internet research, I learned that while still respected for it's millinery contributions to the heads of thousands of British men and barbers, Luton was also voted Britain's worst place to live in 2004. Yikes! Needless to say I opted to pass on Luton for the time being. Perhaps another day.
With my grand Luton hat shopping excursion flushed down the drain, I needed to figure out a new plan, quickly. Now this is where my mind gets a little fuzzy. I can't remember if I was watching TV, reading articles on the Internet, or simply daydreaming about Johnny Depp? Regardless, the idea of pirates flashed through my mind and managed to spark a light. I immediately remembered reading about Captain Kidd being thrown into the river Thames after being hung for piracy. The location of said hanging, Execution Dock, Wapping. Hurriedly I found a walking tour http://www.whatsinwapping.co.uk/walking-in-wapping/ then out the door before the rain came.
I took the bus to Bank, then walked to Tower Bridge. Once again, I was nervous and even more sore than the day before. This of course meant I stalled for a good hour, taking pictures, reading signs, having a shot, and dodging at least 3 rain bouts. After my shot of espresso at Starbucks, it was time to get this show on the road. The mile path was from Tower Bridge, past Wapping Tube Station, ending at a previously unknown bar called Gastronomica. The Wapping area is basically a community of warehouse conversions along the river. Which means thankfully not as many people or traffic as there was yesterday.
Off I go. To my surprise after the first three minutes I started to feel a bit lighter on my feet. What I mean to say is I finally found my hop. You know that be-bop hop you get when you're running comfortably? It feels kind of like little springs in your shoes pushing you back up every time you stomp your foot down? Now keep in mind this is only day 3. When I say I had springs in my shoes, you should be picturing tiny ball point pen springs. But nevertheless, I was hopping! And on top of the hop, I only stopped once!
This of course is all fantastic news except for the fact that half way through the mile I realized I was running in the style and with the pace of a grandma. Bless them. The grandmas you see in the 5k races trucking along with their neon colored running shorts pulled up to their chin, white tee-shirt, visor, probably a fanny pack. Less run, more a jog. So I guess my pace slowed down a bit, but I only stopped once! A triumph compared to yesterdays 3 or 4 stops.
It's late. I'm tired. That said, I'm going to leave the pictures to speak for themselves. I'll add a few captions to keep it interesting. Where to tomorrow???
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| Lunch hour in The City |
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| Hello, Alana! Alana's office next to the Tower of London. |
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| Tower of London and Tower Bridge |
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| Entrance to the docks |
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| Go time. Bang! |
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| Action Shot |
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| 1 stop. The view. Had to. |
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| Finish line.Running through the ribbon, crowd goes wild! ahhhhhh. |
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| The walk back. Hmm , quite a peculiar little alley way leading to the water. |
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| Right, no dead bodies, check. |
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| Pub dates back to the 1500s. Must return. |
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Next to the pub is the alley that leads to the "old stairs" where convicted pirates' bodies were taken after execution and tied to the stake at the bottom of the stairs, then left for three tides to wash over them. Captain Kidd 1701 |
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| My new favorite spot to sit. |
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