7 Sep – Bye Bye London

 

Well that’s the first week of September done and dusted. Thank you London, for giving me seven run fantastic days and I’ve managed just over 58km in six runs,  making me a happy bunny.

Today was a slower pace, deliberately chosen, to soak up the sights before I return back to Italy. First off a mini jogette through the City, I love Fridays in the City, it’s a lot less frenetic than usual, you see a lot of Casual Friday wear, and folk seem to smile just that bit more.

There’s not quite so many people around – I guess using the ‘working from home’ ruse to start the weekend early. One of the things that’s been fun is to see the changes in the two months since I was last here, some not so great though. On Moorgate there has been a very old fashioned barbers, part of the street furniture in some ways, only noticeable now it’s not there . For as long as I can remember, at least 30 years, Flittner’s had all the old dark brown wood interior fittings, cut throat razors and their staff wore the traditional brown cotton duster coats. They even sold razor blades in waxed paper packets! They were a Moorgate tradition, Mr JCR used to buy his shaving products from them. But now no more, I think they are a victim of the Crossrail development. I assumed they’d successfully dodged that bullet, because they’ve been going strong right through the development. But now other shops on the same side are similarly closed – a bit of a shame, a slice of City history is no more.

I trotted down Queen Victoria Street to cross the Thames and do a scoot to Borough Market and I took a photo of the new potbellied tower. I don’t what fancy name it is likely to have, but this is one bit of modern architecture, I think is a bit rubbish. Into Borough Market where Victorian craftsmanship reigns supreme – well after a bit of 21st Century intervention. The renovations are all done now, and it’s lovely to saunter through the market before the weekend hordes descend and see how well it has been renovated.  At this stage I was roughly 5kms into my run and decided to take  a look at Spitalfields market before going home.

Spitalfields is another similarly regenerated area and now is full of City people, eating, drinking and undertaking significant retail therapy. It’s quiet in the mornings and I was able to pootle through without any hassle whatsoever. Back towards Bishopsgate and City fringes, I overtook 3 RAF servicemen and women on their way to the Honourable Artillery Company on Finsbury Pavement and I took a sneaky left turn into Bunhill Fields, which aren’t so much fields, in fact a now defunct cemetery. Here again the pace changes as we move towards Old Street, the site of the famous Silicon Roundabout. The clothes and the people change, and now so do I, from a jog to a warm down walk to a stop.

It’s time to pack up and get ready for Italy once more. It was a Goldlilock’s run, not too fast, not too slow, just perfect and a lovely way to end the week.

Oh and even better the lovely Bev Cavanagh or Mummycav to give her running monicker donated to my Alzheimer’s Challenge. Thanks so much and I promise once the 2018 km hooves have healed we’ll get together for a run.

Playlist

(Countries and Places)

A New England – Billy Bragg

Lost In France – Bonnie Tyler

Breakfast In America – Supertramp

Une Nuit A Paris – 10cc

Is This The Way To Amarillo – Tony Christie

Strong – London Grammar

Strawberry Fields Forever – The Beatles

Vienna – Ultravox

Take My Breath Away – Berlin

Tokyo Joe – Bryan Ferry

Black Eyed Boy – Texas

Massachussetts – Bee Gees

Boston Tea Party – SAHB

Avalon – Roxy Music

Solsbury Hill – Peter Gabriel

Big In Japan – Alphaville

Midnight Train To Georgia – Gladys Knight and The Pips

Streets of Philadelphia – The Boss

San Francisco – Scott Mackenzie

Stats

Distance 8.57km

Time 53:26

Average Pace 6:14

Elevation gain 63 metres

Alzheimer’s Challenge

Kms Run 1500.98 (over the 1500!!!!)

Kms to Go 517.02