Over the past few days, I’ve been doing plenty of running through the streets of London. Here’s a summary, with a few photos.
September 17 & 18
I ran through Kensington Gardens on both these days, with a trip past the Albert Monument and the Royal Albert Hall, both dedicated to Albert, Prince Consort, who was Queen Victoria’s husband. The photo below is at the Albert Monument. I make great faces after three miles of running.
September 20
The 19th was a day off because of orientation, but I was back on my feet the next day. This time, I ran through the City of London (not the same thing as Greater London). I ran past St. Paul’s and then crossed the Thames on the Millenium Bridge to reach Shakespeare’s Globe.
The front of St. Paul’s, which miraculously survived two months of nightly bombings during The Blitz:
The view of St. Paul’s from the bridge:
The view of the financial district:
Shakespeare’s Globe (reconstructed):
September 21
I went for two runs yesterday, so there’s double the photos!
The morning run went past St. Paul’s (a common fixture on my runs by now), the Lloyd’s Building, 30 St. Mary Axe, the Tower of London, the Tower Bridge, the Shard, and The Monument.
The Lloyd’s Building is the new headquarters of Lloyd’s of London. All the “guts” of the building – elevator shafts, ventilation ducting, pipes, etc. – are on the outside. Many consider the building to be hideously ugly, but after standing on the sidewalk below, I found it quite intriguing. I’m told that the interior spaces are much more open because of this style. Maybe I can confirm on a later visit.
Though officially called 30 St. Mary Axe after it’s address, this building is better known as the Gherkin because it’s shaped like a pickle. It also has a few less-flattering nicknames.
After passing the Gherkin, I ran to the Tower of London and dodged tourists as I crossed the Tower Bridge.
From there, I ran down the Queen’s Walk, where I took this photo of the skyline.
Just past that point, I went past The Shard, a glass skyscraper that’s the tallest in London. I’m planning to go up to the observation deck later.
Headed home, I crossed the Thames once again and took this crooked photo of the Tower Bridge. Photos are hard when you’re exhausted.
My last stop on the morning run was The Monument, which is dedicated to the victims of the Great Fire of 1666. It was designed by Christopher Wren, whose masterpiece is St. Paul’s.
On the evening run, I went towards the City of Westminster, where most of the government buildings are located. I passed Trafalgar Square, The Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, and the London Eye.
The photos are of far lower quality this time because iPhones don’t do well in the dark. Here’s Nelson atop his eponymous column in Trafalgar Square.
The clock tower at Westminster, all lit up.
Westminster Abbey (sort of blocked by St. Margaret’s Church).
The London Eye:
And St. Paul’s all lit up:
The two runs totaled nine miles yesterday, so I’m taking a break today. Still plenty left to explore, especially the inside of all these buildings.
