Wandering The City

  The City of London is probably best known for being the hive of London business. Billions of pounds move around every day as huge organisations battle for top dog. I’ve never really considered it as anything more than this, but after finding myself spending a night in a hotel there, my options for an evenings entertainment was to either sit in my dreary hotel room alone, or go exploring. 

I was staying at the Travelodge Liverpool Street (which I wouldn’t recommend but that’s another story!) and after a quick consultation with Google maps it looked as though The Gherkin was around the corner. Indeed it was! I took a bit of time to stop and stare at it, trying not to look like a fly in the ointment as all the high flying city slickers glided by with their beautiful hair and polished shoes. 
My wander was mid-week, starting at about 6:30pm, and I have to say, it was great for wanderers. Despite the fast pace of The City, there was a laid back vibe at that time in the evening. Maybe it was everyone migrating from the office to the bar, or just that the sun was out, but it was a great place to chill out after the craziness of the day and there are plenty of hidden nooks and crannies to take a break, not to mention the dozens of bars and restaurants. 

For fans of architecture, taking some time to walk around this area is an absolute must. The Gherkin is as robust and spectacular as you would imagine, but it is certainly not the only architectural marvel on show. I have no idea what the buildings are, but I just love that mix of old and new. I love it when you can see the history of a place right in front of you. Steel, glass and concrete somehow fit alongside ancient churches and Victorian brickwork. And it’s clean! So much cleaner than some other parts of London, and the additions of trees and seating areas really do make this a pleasant place to explore. 

I didn’t take a particular route… I just sort of wandered down interesting-looking streets and somehow found my way back again, but here are some of the snaps I took on my way. 

   
           

Eat well? Eat beautiful! Good food on the go.

Eating well can be hard when you spend so much time on the road. I’ve never really been one to go on fad diets as such, but I try to just eat healthily the majority of the time. My partner also enjoys eating well so when we’re at home together we try to stick to a diet that’s made fresh with plenty of protein and veg, and less of the carbs and sugars. (E.g. we tend to replace a pile of pasta or potatoes with a pile of veg). I like eating this way. It keeps me feeling healthy and happy, with plenty of energy to hit the gym in the morning. I feel I need to point out here however, that although this is what we try to stick to, we’re no angels! I love pizza and pasta as much as the next person we just try to keep those things as genuine treats to have at a weekend rather than stacking up on carbs every night.

I can safely say though, that trying to eat well when moving from hotel to hotel, from meetings and to functions, is hard. Really hard! This week I’ve had four days away from home. Each day I’ve had a different function or meetings to attend, which have been coupled with the usual slightly-stale sandwich lunch, cookies, pastries, sugary sweets scattered around the tables…. I mean really, who eats this like this?! Every two hours efficient catering teams put out plates of cookies and pastries and before you know it you’re chatting to someone over a cuppa with your second piece of cake in as many hours. Not to mention the after-work drinks and dinner catch-ups with your colleagues. Train food, hotel food, night after night…. Not. Good.

So by Day Four of horrible sandwiches and of topping up my carb-baby-belly, I’m craving a little goodness – I want some veg!

Enter: Itsu.

Itsu is a recent discovery of mine but their premise is all about eating well. Created by the same team who brought Pret into the world, they make sushi, salads, and pots of hot rice and noodles that are packed full of protein and vegetables. All the snacks and drinks also aim to be low in fat and sugar. I’m no nutritionist, but I know when food makes me feel good rather than sluggish, and this stuff is good! Anyone who wants to look up the nutrition content can visit their website which has comprehensive nutritional information on their entire menu.

I chose one of the hot dishes – the Teriyaki Chicken Potsu which was just what the doctor ordered. They come in two sizes and I chose the original size which was more than enough for me, followed by a zero fat frozen yoghurt, or ‘Frogo’, with strawberries. It was goooood! As with most places you can eat in or takeaway. I was at the Brunswick branch so I choose to sit in and watch the world go by, and enjoy the sensation of vitamins being absorbed back into my body…Bliss!

  

Itsu seems to have done well in providing good food for when you’re on the go. Their stores are all bright and airy too with a laid back feel, and for me, it was a welcome break from spending the evening in another hotel. I left as on happy customer, and I will definitely be back for more.

Train travel essentials – lessons learned so far

Since starting my new role a few months ago I have been up and down the East Coast line like a yo-yo. I live in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, my favourite city (obvs) and I’d like to honestly say that London was like a second home to me, but I’m not there yet. Our affair has started, but we haven’t fallen in love! What is starting to feel like a second home however is sitting on a train. I’ve spent hours, I mean actual human hours going back and forth, and I’m going to be doing a lot more so I figured I might as well try to like it.

To be clear, I’m an anti-social traveller. My other half is also a frequent traveller and returns home with stories of new-found friends and a card deck of business cards. Me, my favourite place is The Quiet Coach, often coach B on this route, for Be Quiet! I’m an introvert and I’m ok with that, it’s only extroverts who recoil in horror at the thought of not speaking for three hours!

It is here, in The Quiet Coach, where I have got to know my train journey and started to form an ever-lasting friendship with my kindle. Yes, sometimes there are pesky work things to do but I like to get that out of the way early so I can bed down for the duration. I love my kindle. It was a Black Friday treat to myself last year and since then it has become a train essential. Travelling and being away from home can be tiring and let’s face it, a little depressing at times but immersing myself in a good book helps put a little joy back into my day. Why not use these hours that I have to be on a train to have a little me-time?

As well as my precious kindle, there are a few other things that I have learned to keep in my handbag on these journeys:

1.      Food. Preferably a twirl or honey cashew nuts, but really I’ll settle for anything. I get irritable and angry when I get really hungry so I consider keeping my snacks in good supply is pretty much a public service.

2.      Hand sanitizer. For obvious reasons, those germs won’t kill themselves!

3.      Jumper. Trains get cold! Or is it because I’m sitting still for hours? Either way, it’s chilly so make sure you carry a jumper peeps. I find lightweight wool works well to squash into a handbag and also keep the chill at bay.

4.      Sunglasses. This might sound a little odd, but spending hours with glaring sunlight in your eyes is no fun. Who cares if you look like you’re trying to pull off Joan Collins, think of the wrinkles you’ll be preventing!

5.      Drink. Now this option can vary! From water, to tea, to gin, to a bottle of wine shared with a colleague on the way home….. Whatever your choice of beverage, get it before you go and enjoy. (Oh, and make sure it’s a screw cap 😉)

So that’s it, my train travel essentials. Clearly I would also take other obvious items like my purse, phone, tickets etc. but I’m assuming that’s a given. Just a few key items to help make my time away from home a little more enjoyable. 

So next time you see a girl absorbed in her kindle, wearing her woollies, sunnies, and knocking back the screw top wine, don’t worry, it’s likely to be one of the best parts of her day!