I still need to tell you all about Iceland. I'm so terribly behind. But today I've been especially missing London so I'm going to break my heart even more by reminiscing about it. I thought about creating a 'Top 10' list of my favorite things. But I just couldn't narrow it down. So here you have my favorite things, unabridged:
The shows. Oh the shows. One of my favorite things was
to pop into a show on Friday night. I've gone to Wicked, Singing In the
Rain (twice!), Mathilda, Les Mis, Chorus Line, Once and I went to see
Swan Lake at the ballet as well as Taming of the Shrew at the Globe (on the longest day of the year...perfection). It doesn't matter if I go by myself or with
someone, I just love sitting in the seats anticipating the start of the
show, eyeing the ice cream they sell at intermission, and seeing little
kids try to be so grown-up as they sit next to their parents. I love
the music and getting lost in a story. Yes, West End indeed sweeps me
away.
The markets. Picture rows and rows of winding stalls
full of artisan breads, yummy dark chocolate brownies, freshly squeezed
juices, art, clothes, beads, candles, silver, photographs, costume
jewelry, wood carvings and adorable bunting to top it all off. I love
grabbing something delicious and surprising for lunch. From Borough
Market, Spitalfields and Greenwich to Portobello Road, I could spend
nearly all my free time discovering and re-discovering these markets.
The shops. London and I have similar tastes.
Unfortunately we have very different bank accounts. So I try to keep my
coveting in check when I wander through shops like The Conran Shop,
Liberty, Fortnam & Mason, The White Company, Harrods (mostly I just
want to clean out their food halls), and Skandium. The stores are really
only half the story. They congregate in the most lovely neighborhoods
like Islington, Covent Garden, Marylebone High Street, Notting Hill
and Columbia Road, just to name a few. The only thing that has made it
easier to walk away from an inviting throw or the perfect cake stand is
my practical side telling me how impossible it would be (and was!) to
get it all back to CA.
The food. I know, I know. People always complain about
the British food. Can I just say that they have been working mighty hard
to redeem themselves. I have had yummy fish & chips (one too many,
my pants now tell me), sticky toffee pudding, roast, and pies...like
apricot and lamb pie. Mmmm. They have also lived up to their reputation
for being a great place for ethnic food. My favorite restaurant is
current this wonderful Lebanese place in South Kensington. Yum. I've
also had the occasional french cuisine, which has been delightful. Now
this is going to sound silly, but I can't forget the yogurt. I think I
would have much better luck losing weight if I didn't love their yogurt
so darn much. Any of you who have eaten yogurt outside the US will
understand what I mean. And with flavors like organic honey greek yogurt
and russian fudge calling to me from the yogurt aisle...I mean, I'm
doomed.
The commute. When I tell people my commute is 1.5 hours
one-way they are quick to express sympathy. However, I loved my
commute. Don't get me wrong, I also loved the days I worked in the city
and cut the commute down to 40 min. But when I took the train to
Bracknell I could just read, listen to podcasts, people watch, think and
occasionally sleep, all with zero guilt. It's built-in multi-tasking,
of which I'm a huge fan!
The sights. I have to start with the view I woke up to
each morning. Those who know me know that I LOVE to wake up to the
sunrise in my window. I'm lucky enough the have had a large window next
to my bed. I'm even luckier that it faces east. Off in the distance I
could see the financial district with the Gherkin and the Shard standing
tall and distinct. It's over these buildings that I get to watch the sun
wake up each morning. When it's not raining, that is. I also never got
sick of eating a quick lunch under St. Paul's, walking across Milennium
bridge, gazing at Tower bridge in her bright blue adornment, watching
Big Ben as I walk along South Bank, or enjoying Trafalgar Square
swimming with street performers and people climbing over the lions. And,
although cliche, I just love the pops of red all over the city from
telephone booths (which I am delighted to say actually work, much to my
relief when I had to use one my first day here) to double-decker buses.
The parks: Parliament Hill, Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens, Green Park--all
seemingly endless stretches of ponds, grassy nobs, picnic blankets,
fountains and flowers. One minute you are watching paddle-boaters on the
pond and then you turn the corner to find flower beds that make you
feel like you are in Alice's Wonderland. Oh, and I haven't even mentioned
The Mall and Buckingham Palace. My favorite is when you wander over
there on a Sunday morning and they've closed off traffic so you are free
to walk down the red paved street with guards on horses and bands occasionally
walking by.
The Brits. I love their wit and sense of humour and, of
course, how smartly they dress. As Lauren (and Denise) would say: Well
done.
I often have to pinch myself to believe that I really lived there.
