London in October; the weather outstanding! Beautiful and warm with a blue sky – the smog had been conquered by the sun. People were having picnic in the parks, children were playing, and a lot of people were running (including me, of course). London has a special place in my heart. It was the first city abroad that I visited with school in the 7^th grade. Later, I lived and worked there in for 6 months.

Back in 1991, I was 19 – young and “wild and crazy”. Thinking back, I lived in the presence and didn’t worry too much about the future. I worked in a traditional English pub which was good for my practice of the English language. Most of the customers were regular so I met a lot of people with various destinies. Remembering many of them, I know that alcohol had taken over their lives and sadly enough, many of those I knew probably don’t live anymore. I recall most customers as very polite and respectful to me. I am grateful for that short period of time and maybe that is part of the reason why I always wish to go back to London.

I’ve been back to London many times since and now I had the chance to stay over the weekend. My friend and I stayed in Hammersmith. A perfect area close to nature and not too far from midtown (well, as a runner, distances always seem shorter. So what I thought of as a long way before now seems much shorter). We stayed at Novotel Hotel, a pleasant hotel with a French ambiance. It had conference rooms with names such as Chablis Suite, Champagne Suite, and Cognac Suite. Personally, I prefer big hotel chains since I know what I get and I can be rather anonymous.

My friend and I ran over the beautiful Hammersmith Bridge, built in 1887. On the other side of the River Thames, there was a marvelous place to run around the Wetland area. Nice surroundings for recreation with a cozy and relaxing atmosphere. I was amazed by the dogs – they were calm and didn’t disturb anyone. No dogs were in leash but they behaved impeccably. On the Thames, many rowers were training; fascinating to watch them.

We went to Trafalgar Square. The tourists were gathering and we took some photos. We had booked tickets for an exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery: Michael Jackson on the Wall. A tribute to the artist and it was a spectacular exhibition where other artists had depicted Michael Jackson and their relation to him.

We went to Neal’s Yard to a lovely café: Jacob the Angel. They served the most delicious coconut cream pies which I strongly recommend! The cream just melted on the tongue and the taste of coconut mixed with the cream was another delicious flavor. They also served light vegetarian food and many other delicious temptations.

From the cafe to the big book store Foyles. I could’ve stayed there for hours but (luckily) I had my friend with me so I had to limit the visit (good for my wallet). In other words – a great book store for book lovers!

Even though there’s a lot of traffic in London – inevitable, being a big city – it is great to discover on foot. We walked a lot and enjoyed being there, noticing the beautiful buildings, the green areas, and people. London differs from most big cities by not being dominated by huge sky scrapers. In some parts, you even get the feeling of being in a small town. People were friendly and helpful; every time we looked confused, someone asked if they could help.

We visited my old pub; it was now also a hotel (with very few rooms). The interior had changed – no carpet anymore, which I remembered how I vacuum cleaned every morning. However, the counter behind which I’d spend many hours, still looked the same. The staff was changed, of course, so I didn’t recognize anyone. One funny thing was that they played music from the eighties. Good old hits that I grew up with: Madness’ Our House, Cyndi Lauper’s True Colors, and lots of other songs which I cannot remember the group or the title but the songs brought me back in time. So I got a strong sense of nostalgia, thinking about my old friends, wondering what happened.

To live in the present, in the Now (according to Eckart Tolle) is great. Nevertheless, I am also grateful for the good memories of the past. And if you wish for something, there is nothing wrong in dreaming and setting a goal for that. One day, I hope to come back and run the London Marathon.