Charming London

I arrived in London a little weary from the day of traveling, but the sun was shining so I quickly snapped out of it. I wandered down the adorable streets with charming buildings and old-school taxi cabs everywhere. I paid special attention when crossing the streets too, as the driving lanes are reversed...they know foreigners too well and have kindly painted "Look Left/Right" on the ground at every intersection.

I had my first meal on the most lovable street (St. Christopher's), which also happens to be where my host/friend Thomas currently resides. I wasn't really expecting much food-wise as it is like any other big city, best known for other cuisine from around the world. We settled on a quaint little place where I ordered a dish made up of 12 tiny portions of meals. There was an edamame puree with nuts and arugula, chick peas and veggies marinated in some lovely sauces, cabbage, cheese and red pepper tucked in a fried egg roll of sorts...the list goes on and on. It was actually quite tasty, not to mention my perfect idea of a meal...little bites and nibbles of so many diverse dishes!

My first full day of exploring, I just walked out the front door and didn't look back. I trotted all over, first starting down the famed Oxford street (the 5th avenue of London), arriving at Trafalgar square, breezing through the National Gallery (accompanied by my trusty Rick Steve's reading tour) and down Whitehall street past Gordon Brown's house and on to Big Ben, Parliament, The Westminster Abbey church and the London Eye (ferris wheel). The sky gave way to short bursts of rain here and there, but I was too starry eyed to notice. It is always interesting to walk around such storied history...thinking back over the tons of millions of people that have walked these paths over the course of hundreds of years. It is truly fascinating.

I continued my journey towards St. James park, Buckingham palace (taking s break to view the Victoria & Albert art collection tour...amazing) and finally leisurely strode through Hyde park...stopping along the way to sit and enjoy the beautiful sky (which at this point had cleared up and was Chrystal blue, dotted with whip cream clouds). It is in those small moments when I really have so much appreciation for life and the ability to truly feel like I am living...taking in this stunning sight, halfway across the world from my home in New York City.

My last day was full of brutal rain and fierce winds...needless to say I didn't make it to much during the day. The two main highlights were lunch of fish and chips accompanied by my first pint of British beer (quite tasty) and the Sir John Soane's Museum. A colleague and former London "local" told me about this obscure museum and I had to make time to check it out. Housed in the owner's original apartment, it was full of all sorts of art from molds used to make famous roman statues to an Egyptian sarcophagus. A tortured soul and art lover, Soane's massed a huge, diverse collection in the hopes that it would be used for teaching the world's future artists about technique and style.

My trip was topped off by a lovely dinner full of new acquaintances and philosophical conversation. I love meeting new people and am always glad to have such insightful conversation about life and love. We had so much fun that we missed the last train home and against our better judgment, decided to walk. Two and a half short hours later...we had trucked all through London, passing by all the familiar, popular sights, this time decorated with colorful lights and calculated shadows. It turned out to be quite perfect and it was cool to see the city in a completely different light (literally). The only downside was that my feet felt slightly raw and I had a chill through my body for the next 24 hours...worth it? Absolutely!

I was sad to bid my good friend and this lovely city farewell, but alas it was time to get back to NYC. I am actually excited for the day of travel home in hopes of reflecting on my trip and gearing up to get back to work, boyfriend and my "mates" (a.k.a. friends)as the Brits would say. Absence sure does make the heart grow fonder...