Here is a little map of the run.
This entry is a little tour of London from pictures I took on my long Sunday run. The first stop was Sigmund Freud’s home near Swiss Cottage. He lived here the last year of his life after escaping the Nazi occupation of Vienna. He died one year later of cancer.
The next stop was Primrose Hill on the way down to Regent’s Park. I stopped to snap a picture of the London Fog from the top of Primrose Hill.
On my way down the hill I ran into my friend Joyce who is training for the London Marathon. We had a chance to catch up while we ran 2 miles on the Regent’s Canal from the London Zoo to Camden Lock. Below are pictures of the Camden Town Markets and Camden Lock along the canal.
Regent’s Canal has been one of my favourite long run locations. It’s only 2 miles from our flat and it’s a quiet escape from the buzz of the city. Some parts aren’t that scenic, but on a Sunday morning you are guaranteed to find some nice, quiet stretches to run.
The canal was built in the early 19th century as one of the many project put forth by the Prince Regent and his architect, John Nash.
One reason for bringing my phone along (which allowed me to document the run with pictures) was that I have never run past the Islington Tunnel before. Usually when I get to this 1000yd long tunnel I turn around and it makes a nice 10 mile run out and back from our flat.
Today I continued over ground to the other end of the tunnel and hopped back on the tow path. I continued for 2 more miles, past Victoria Park. At this point I was very close to the 2012 Olympic Park. That will be topic of my next post.
I hit the 9 mile mark on my run just as I approached the appropriately named Mile End Tube station. I hopped on the tube for 30 minute ride back home!
The weather is rotten, although I don’t think that’s what Shakespeare was referring to. Below is the only semi-sunny picture I took the entire weekend and it was as soon as I arrived at my hotel room. From that point onward it was cold, rainy and snowy for the remainder of my visit.
When we first moved to London, Heather and I both made a list of the top 10 places we might like to visit while we were living in Europe. Copenhagen made our list. Now, we’ve been in London for a year already and we are running out of time to visit all the places we’d like to. This trip ended up being a solo trip for me. Heather is heading out on a 10 day business trip next week and offered to give me a weekend away from the boys to regain my sanity before the boys and I hang out together for 10 days without Mom.
I have to say, I thoroughly enjoyed wandering aimlessly around Copenhagen, discovering the city on my own time. The first thing I noticed was that the Danish are the first people I’ve run into who seriously don’t seem to mind or even notice that it’s cold. I assume it’s because the weather is always that way and they are used to it. I wandered down a major shopping street on Friday evening when it was below 0F and there were tons of people out shopping and hanging out on the street, not even dressed appropriately for the cold. Compare that to London, where everyone breaks out their winter parkas as soon as the temperature dips below 50F.
The trip to Copenhagen from London is straightforward, like reaching many cities in Europe. There are direct flights from Heathrow to Copenhagen, which take about 1:30. The arrival terminal has a distinct Scandinavian feel, wood floors, modern, minimalist furniture. I took the Metro for a 15 minute ride and I was in the heart of Copenhagen, Kongens Nytorv (Kings New Square). By mid afternoon, I was in my hotel room in the Nyhavn area of Copenhagen.
I started my official site seeing on Saturday morning with a nice 6 mile run from the hotel around the lakes. It was a great way to see the city. I managed to see the Royal Danish Guard Fife and Drum band practicing early in the morning. It was a very cold morning, while running around the lakes I saw several swans breaking the ice as they tried to swim along. I had read that a lap around the lakes was a popular running location and they were right. I definitely wasn’t the only crazy person out running at 8AM on a Saturday in freezing conditions.
The other highlight of Saturday was my discovery of the Christiansborg Palace and the ruins underneath which are open to the public. I discovered this while walking towards the History Museum, also worth a look for a quick lesson in Danish history. The ruins are accessible from the cellar of the palace and it is a very well put together exhibit describing how the original castle was built by Bishop Absalon in 1167. They also point out that the current palace is the 3rd Christiansborg Palace, the first two having burned to the ground over the past several hundred years. Both burning due to malfunctioning wood burning stoves.
I started my 2nd and last day in Copenhagen with another run. This time my goal was to see the “little mermaid” statue, which is ranked as the top tourist attraction in Copenhagen. I had started walking towards the statue late on Saturday but decided I wouldn’t make it before it got dark. I decided it would make a nice run destination.
My other big find on my 2nd run was the Kastellet, an old fortress shaped like a pentagram. I noticed a number of people running on the ramparts and decided to check it out. It made for an excellent run (in the light snowfall).
My final site seeing was a canal boat cruise before heading to the airport for the flight home. Here are few photos from the cruise, including the new Opera House.
Dad and the boys have a number of after school traditions and I thought it was time to share some of them. My "Mr. Mom" day really starts with the after school pickup. Prior to that, Ryan is napping, the flat is very quiet and Dad is trying to get things done. At 3PM it’s time to wake Ryan up to accompany me to pick up Kevin at school. Ryan usually oscillates between two different wake up modes; the first is happy Ryan and he pops up out of his crib and says "go get Kevin?", the second is grumpy Ryan when he would rather keep napping. He just lies there and moans "NO KEVIN TODAY!" I try to convince him on the grumpy days that he really doesn’t have any choice, I can’t leave him home alone!
So we eventually get ourselves out the door, armed with plenty of snacks, drinks, books, stuffed animals, etc…
Pick up itself is chaos. The sidewalk is blocked, there is a narrow stairway where parents, children and strollers are all crammed into the waiting area. I push my way through with Ryan. Sometimes he is super happy and ready to wave to all the teachers….other times I drag him kicking and screaming to pick up his brother. One constant in all the school pickups; as soon as Kevin sees me he doesn’t say "Hi Dad, it’s great to see you!" or "Hi Dad, I had a great day at school". Everyday, it’s the same thing; "Hi Dad…did you bring any snacks?" Evidently we don’t put enough food in his lunchbox.
So after we get back to the stroller we set off on our after school adventures. This summer we spent over an hour getting home. Now that the weather has turned cold and rainy, not to mention it’s almost dark by the time we pick Kevin up….we head straight home.
During the warmer months, here are some of our traditions.
Secret Technology of Life
After leaving school armed with snacks in the double jogger, we head up the hill from school to a park at the top of the hill above Hampstead. Early in the school year, Kevin announced that in this park you could find "The Secret Technology of Life". Ever since then we have been going to the "Secret Technology of Life" park climbing trees and looking for all the secrets.
Admirals House
On the walk from the “Secret Technology of Life Park” to the Judges Walk we pass the Admirals House. Lieutenant Fountain North lived here in 1791 he used to fire a cannon from its roof to celebrate royal birthdays. Later P.L. Travers, the author of Mary Poppins lived in the house. The house served as the inspiration for the Mary Poppins character Admiral Boom. I always tell the boys about how the Lieutenant who lived there use to fire his cannon from the roof and they try spotting the cannon.
Judges Walk
The cornerstone of our after school walk home is the Judges Walk. The name of this area comes from when the Judges of London escaped from central London during the plague and came to Hampstead to hold court for several years. Every morning they would walk through this field to a local pub to hold court.
I’m not sure how the tradition started, but everyday in the summer we start at the top of the Judges walk and Kevin commands "Dad, go down super-fast". Ryan chimes in "medium" …and I always compromise with "medium fast". We countdown "3, 2, 1, blast-off!" and then set off down the single track trail in our double bob. The boys thought it was like a rollercoaster ride. Inevitably, after it was all over, Ryan would command; "Do it again!!" Here is a little clip of the Judge’s walk rollercoaster ride:
The Fence Walk
After Dad has exerted himself by running down the Judges Walk we make our way past the zip line playground and then before we can go home we have to get out of the jogger and walk the fence line along a house on Reddington Gardens.
Collecting
All along our path home, we do a lot of collecting. Its always for Mom…."Let’s take this home to show Mom!" Over the past year we have brought home sticks, rocks, wild flowers, weeds, dirt, chestnuts, and ladybugs (called ladybirds in England). We have quite a collection at home, stop by sometime and check it out! Mom is always excited to see the dandelions and pile of dirt the boys have collected for her!!
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