Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/407098
Hitting the Pavement ough it's not everyone's cup of tea – especially in a coun- try known for real tea parties, complete with crustless sandwiches and bone china – Kathleen and I like to break a sweat from time to time. Plus, we know we need to do something to counteract all of the fish and chips and bangers and mash we've been eating – or risk returning home mushier than English peas. Enter City Jogging Tours, the active tourist's answer to London sightseeing. Our guide, the extremely fit and Lady Guinevere-esque Denise Sofia picks us up, so to speak, and we proceed to trot a solid eight kilometres back and forth over six of London's bridges on the Riverside jogging tour. We hit all the highlights: Downing Street, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, the London Eye. As we jog across Blackfriars Bridge, Sofia regales us with the tale of Italian banker Roberto Calvi, who was found hung from the bridge's arches in 1982, with $14,000 in various currencies stuffed in his trousers. Grisly, but the pause gives us time to catch our breath. At our final destination, Tower Hill, just north- west of the Tower of London, Kathleen says she's happy that my "energetic youngster self" pushed her into seeing the city in a new and active way, but now she's more than ready for a refreshing pint of Guinness. Me too. To Market, to Market e differences between the way a 20-something and a 50-something shop don't always lie in style – Kathleen and I own a few of the same pieces of clothing, in fact – but rather in the socio-economic factors that dictate where I, the 20-something freelancer, can afford to make purchases. Sure, it's fun to pop into designer boutiques and ogle the craftsmanship of clothes that I can't afford – like the striking Balmain skirt suit we spot through a window while wandering down posh Bond Street. But after a while, I start itching to spend my limited funds. is is when we discover the splendour that is London's market scene. For both antiques and affordable, on-trend items, Not- ting Hill's lively Portobello Market can't be beat. Within 10 minutes of wandering, I've picked up a handcrafted silver ring, a polka-dot pocket square for my dad and the perfect newsboy cap for myself. Kathleen is enamoured with the locally spun wool products and cashmere "jumpers." Camden Market, on the northwest side of the city, offers even more eclectic fare, such as hand-tooled leather goods, artisan bath products, upcycled vintage fashions and a hearty assortment of raver gear. While I enjoy the eclectic crowd, it's a tad edgy for my shopping buddy. Borough Market, a bustling food fair in Southwark, central London, captures both of our hearts, or, more accurately, our stomachs, with everything from tradi- tional roast dinners and sangria to Croatian delicacies. Pungent-smelling Neal's Yard Dairy, on the market's west side, off Park Street, sells more than 50 kinds of cheese. "It's amazing really, the endless possibilities of gone-off milk," jokes one of the mongers. After a few lus- cious bites of the Cashel Blue, we couldn't agree more. Following Our Bliss We cap off our girlfriends' trip with the girliest of indul- gences: a spa day. Chuan Spa, in the palatial, circa 1865 Langham London hotel, just north of shopping mecca Oxford St., is a cross between a Chinese medicine centre and a traditional Western spa. Reclining on chaise lounges, we sip green tea and nibble on fresh berries as we fill out questionnaires to determine which "elemental oil" will be used during our hour-long Harmony massages. Whether it's the incense or the muscle-melting properties of those herb-infused warm oils, after the rubdown, Kathleen and I feel as if we've been healed of ailments we didn't know we had. And while I'm not usually one to linger after a spa treatment, Chuan's health club is too good to pass up. We spend the next two hours alternating between a Himala- yan rock-salt sauna, a lavender-bordered plunge pool and a 16-metre swimming pool with icicle-like crystal chande- liers dangling overhead. Extravagant? Absolutely. But blissed-out bonding experiences, like perfect travel com- panions, are few and far between. W See page 44 for the best of London and Paris with CAA Travel. (above) The Apollo Victoria theatre in London's West End displays Wicked signs; (bottom) tasty brews on tap at The Horniman at Hays pub near London Bridge. (pastries) meghan jessiman, (wicked) adina tovy/getty images w i n t e r 2 0 1 4 | w e s t w o r l d 23