NYC Walk

Really, England is not the only place to walk. For part of every week, I live in Manhattan, NYC. If there is a better city built for walking, I have not found it. I stroll east, towards the East River path, and head south. This time of year, it is FREEZING! The wind blowing off the bay heads north along the river with a vengeance, almost angry. I fight the tide, heading south. I pass-- believe it or not-- sleeping homeless all along the way. How do they survive? How terrible must the shelters be to force them to decide to sleep outside when the temperature will dip below 10?

I push along, all the way to Houston, listening to Mozart's Requiem. Believe it or not, its a great power-walk companion.

In the days before I left this great city for Philadelphia (long story, more on this later) I used to run along this route in the very, very early morning. Over time I came to know the regular runners who shared my schedule, as well as "Joe I" and "Joe II", homeless men who were both already up drinking coffee when I ran past at 4 a.m. each morning I think they thought I was crazy, for sure. "Joe I" always said "top of the mornin' to you". He made my day, in fact. If anyone needed the "top of the morning" is was Joe, but he was most gracious. These days, I look for "Joe I" and "Joe II"... to no avail. I wondered what happened to them over the last 4 years. It scares me a bit to think about it.

Speaking of amazing people

My stroll along Hadrian's Wall exposed me to so very many wonderful English people who live beyond the confines of London. In the north (Northumbria and Cumbria), the economy is struggling and some areas have yet to recover from the Mad Cow epidemic several years back. I am sure I have never had so many people thank me for contributing to the local economy. It was amazing.

At some B&Bs, the only guests were the people walking the path. From Wallsend to Bowness, everyone was so very welcoming. The world economic challenges last summer (as if the have ended!) resulted in very few Americans visiting the region. Over the course of 10 days, I only heard one American accent-- and he could have been Canadian!

For older Englishmen and women, who remember the blitz and the Americans during WWII, the welcome is almost over the top. "Love you Yanks" is oft heard. For the younger generation, there is more caution and concern, but always welcoming and pleasant. Our two nations have hundred of years of connections that bind us-- for good and bad. You only have to listen to some of the speeches by Winston Churchill to hear the most eloquent references to this friendship of nations.

A good reference if you are looking for an extraordinary movie about England and WWII-- Mrs. Miniver. You will love it. Greer Garson was a treasure.

Now, about the cow

Last year, 3 people were killed by cows as they hiked in the United Kingdom. Hard to believe. One, sadly, perished trying to save her dog. A brave woman. I only discovered this after my "incident".

I strolled along the wall in the middle of my 4th day on the Hadrian's Wall Path and surprised a cow, who was hiding (I am convinced) behind the wall and waiting for me. I walked slowly-- forward-- towards the fence and she came up behind me. I turned to find her smashing her head into me and knocking me to the ground, deep in the summer mud of Northumbria. I screamed at her, sort of like a little girl, and then got up and jumped the fence so fast, even she did not believe it. Nasty creature. I was less than gentlemanly as I addressed her for the next few minutes. Later, a marvelous woman I met at the B&B-- Margaret from Vancouver-- was surrounded by this very same cow and her gang (were they the Jets or the Sharks?). Fortunately, lovely Margaret was unharmed.

That night, at the King's Arms (why are pubs always named after royal body parts?), I have beef, beef, and more beef for dinner. A poor hikers revenge.

The English Walker

No, I am not really English. I love to hike in England, and last year- 2009-- made me a believer. I hiked the length of the Hadrian's Wall National Path from Newcastle to Bowness on Solway in 7 days, about 86 miles, all told. Pretty amazing stuff and an extraordinary experience, except for one brazen cow (but more on that later).

I hike solo, but never alone. On the Hadrian's Wall Path, I met some amazing people, including the 87 year old gentleman from the Netherlands who passed me on the toughest part of the hike and made me ashamed of how out-of-shape I was, and am. He was with his "younger" wife (she declined to mention her age) of 55 years!

Solo hiking is some of the best therapy you can imagine. On my walk, somewhere near Twice-Brewed, I decided to buy an apartment in Manhattan. I used to live there, for nearly 20 years, but relocated to Philadelphia for a job in 2006. I wanted back big-time, even if only on weekends and holidays. So, I took the plunge.

In 2010, I have already made arrangements for my second, major English hike, the North Downs Path, from Farnham, via Canterbury, to the white cliffs of Dover. It scares me to imagine what I will come up with as I stroll along the Hogs Back, walking part of the way on the Pilgrim's Path to Canterbury. We shall see.