The sights of London

About yesterday the less said the better - what a miserable day all round - but today dawned clear, bright and chilly in London. So even as I cycled in to work I knew that I'd be running at lunchtime, as much to test the knee as to put in some serious training. The only fly in the ointment (there's always one) was that work was kind of busy and I needed to minimise my run time while getting maximum benefit and this meant only one thing: I was going to be running down the embankment to Tower Bridge and back. Simple this route certainly is but what it lacks in topographical excitement it more than makes up for with landmark after landmark.

It's easy, nay compulsory, to become blasé about the sights of London when you live and work here but I do love to look around when I run. From the start the London Eye dominates the skyline before I stumble across Big Ben and cross the river; then, heading east, it's all about bridges before hitting the Tate Modern (right across the river from St. Pauls), the Globe Theatre and then "The Glass Gonad" right next to Tower Bridge:

  

A year or two ago I got trapped here, by the Tower of London, while the guards carried out a 60-gun salute to Prince Charles (or maybe the Queen) using a decently sized howitzer. As noisy and exciting as it definitely was the onslaught didn't do much for my mile-splits and that's nice thing about this two-mile stretch back to the office: on the north side of the river there are less tourists and it's possible to knock off a couple of sub-6:30 minute miles on a good day (and today was a good day). That said it was hard to take my eyes off of The Shard as it thrusted its way into the sky over London Bridge:

 

We have a great view of this construction site from our office but really you have to get up close to realise just how damn tall it is right now (never mind what it'll be like when finished). I can't wait to travel up to the observation deck and drink in the vista on a clear day - it's pretty good from the top of St. Pauls but this is taking it to another level. Can't wait.

Distance: 7.3 miles

Time: 52m 31s