I think it would be fair to describe myself as a walker, for I can walk mile after mile after endless mile, happily, tirelessly (ask the boyfriend if you don't believe me). I don't know if it's the fresh air, or the steady, rhythmic thump of my shoes in time with the (almost ever-present) music blasting from my earphones, but it's a stress reliever of the best sort. But even for someone like me, habitual walker, maybe even addicted walker, there are times when it's just a no no. Example. If EVER there was a time I might say no, it would be 8am on a drizzly Sunday morning, the day after a family wedding and sleepless night, when the underground is buggered, London Midlands has closed itself down and most places in London have to be bussed or walked to. Did I add that I had the option to remain curled up, warm and snug, under the covers watching Sunday morning TV?
But guess what this crazy walker found herself doing first thing on that same drizzly Sunday morning? Yup, you guessed it. Gallivanting through London. Two motivating factors: 1. Sushi date with best friend. 2. Sushi date with best friend.
And it's just as well 'cause the tubes were empty, footpaths deserted, parks empty and before long, sunny too. Turns out closure of the district and circle lines was a blessing in disguise, because the walk from Sloane Square to Knightsbridge (spent peering tentatively at the £3984497464803 handbags in the designer stores) and then to Hyde Park Corner and into Hyde Park is probably one of the nicest I've ever taken. It's hard to imagine a city that's heaving almost all the time (and even by 11 on Sunday) can ever be so serene, especially by daylight. It's even harder to fathom such secluded, exclusive homes and parks, tucked away out of sight just a stones throw from the bustling tourist spots. Most of the time it's as if London's too busy to remember how beautiful it actually is.
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