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East or actually West in London

November 23, 2019 (Afternoon)

Exercise Type: Run

Weather: 50?, gray, damp

Comments:
Arrived in London at 6:45am after a fine flight overnight, joined up with my father, and caught a cab to Chelsea (Nell Gwynn House on Sloane Ave). Wandered Harrods with family and eventually headed out to get a lay of the land and check our central London. Didn't realize this until 1:20 into my run, but I got turned around 3 minutes in and went west on King's Road, instead of east. Oops. Hadn't really understood that we were more perpendicular with it than parallel to it. Assumign I was headed east, my mental map was completely flipped and I couldnn't make sense of what was happening. For example, when it took about half as long to reach the Thames than I'd expected, I just assumed the maps I'd looked at beforehand weren't to scale, and when I got to the middle of Putney bridge, I assumed the "New King's Road upon which I'd found myself was a branch which had veer further south at some point. After doubling back to retrace my steps 25 minutes in to my run, I apparently veered off course. Needing the loo anyhow, I turned into a pleasant park and found a comfort house beside some tennis courts. Comforted, I tried to cut back through this neighborhood to re-find New King's Road. I didn't. Bloody sort, angled, non-orthogonal streets! Eventually asked for directions and was told New King was well behind me. I took that to mean I needed to go left which I assumed was west, back towards Chelsea. As I was reversed, that took me back to the river. I was dumbfounded to reach the river and completely unable to make sense of what was happening. Asked for directions back to Chelsea from a family which told me it was very far to run. I told them I could manage if they'd just direct me. Five minutes later I found myself at the comfort station where I'd used the bathroom half an hour previous. I retraced my steps back to Fullham Rd (I think) and followed it until more directions got me over to New King's. My pace picked up noticeably now that I was late, loose and it was dark. I did catch two leaves including a big crispy! Once back to familiar blocks in Chelsea (blocks from the flat), I got lost again since I still didn't understand how my flat was situated in comparison to King's Road. Guess I was a new world boy on the Old King's Road. (Thanks Tom Petty.) 10+ minutes of wandering and more directions later, I found the flat and realized my errors. Humbled, embarrassed, confused, tired and with an achy foot which has remained swollen for the next 2+ days, I returned to my family who asked, "hadn't you said you'd be back in 30-45 minutes? Having been gone over an hour and half, I could only admit that my sense of direction had completely failed me. The city won.