London is fresh on all our minds today after we’ve been forced to follow the recent royal wedding so closely. For two weeks it has been featured on every television channel, even the thirty devoted exclusively to food. It has made the cover of most magazines. Much discussion has taken place about Kate’s wedding dress and its designer Sarah Burton – including where she lives, works and takes her dog for a walk. (Frankly I was disappointed that, after all that build-up, Kate turned up in something white). The actual event was telecast for seven hours non-stop and reported in detail in local newspapers and the International Herald Tribune... on the front page of course.
But after this heady media immersion, it is useful to remind ourselves that, apart from the royal family, there are other interesting aspects about London, many of which I discovered on a recent trip.
On my first day – a beautiful morning with clear skies and a crisp breeze – I asked the hotel concierge to recommend a running route. Based on my previous experience, I expected to be pointed to a nearby park with shady trees, velvet lawns and paths cushioned with fallen leaves. Or perhaps she would suggest a quaint path along the majestic Thames, with the gently flowing river on one side and stately buildings on the other.
“There’s a cemetery nearby, Sir,” she said.
