The Final Wrap-Up: London

Long overdue post on London. We left for London via train on Friday, January 8th. The original plan (months earlier) had been for me to go to London for 5 days without James and Dorian. Of course, Dorian decided he was not going to give up the boobies at 12 months as we had hoped. So James and Dori had to come with me. We compromised and only went for 3 days. James is not a major fan of cities, and obviously would have preferred to have stayed in Devon with his family for a few extra days. But fair's fair. I had wanted to do London the previous year when Dori was a newborn but there was so much family stuff going on in Devon (and no one had met Dori yet, or seen James in 3 years) so we didn't get the chance to go.

The train ride was beautiful. It took about 2.5 hours and the views were lush. There was a dusting of frost on everything so it looked like it had just freshly snowed. Even in winter, everything in England is so green, so bright and pretty. It is such a stunning country. Shame about the weather. When we arrived at Paddington Station, my good friend Sam was waiting for us. Sam used to live in Devon - I met her when we both worked at a bank in Exeter in 2003. She became my best friend while I lived in England. She has visited us in Oakland once, and miraculously, we've both managed to keep in touch via long emails for 4.5 years. She's a really good friend. One of those few people you click with in life and can go years without seeing and then pick up like you never left off, you know?

We took a taxi to Sam's flat in Westminster (near Chelsea and Kensington) and OH MY GOD. She lives in the nicest part of London and her flat was stunning. It's quite small (though probably not by English standards) but the street is gorgeous. Pristine white Victorian apartment complexes (freshly painted) with black iron gates and fluffy, green trees (at least, I imagine they are in the summer) lining the street. Cobblestone paths. Exactly what you think of when you think of London! Inside, we had to go up 4 flights of tiny, winding stairs to her and her boyfriend's attic apartment. It was very sweet with a kitchen, bathroom, living room and bedroom. I forgot how tiny British apartments are - it was about the size of James and my second apartment in Exeter.

Sam and I left James and Dorian at Gymboree (yes, they had Gymboree play classes a few blocks from her house!) and went to Portobello Road. There's a market that takes place there every day and it was so cute. The street was gorgeous. I bought the cutest knit Indian hippie jacket for Dorian - it will be in some pictures soon, I'm sure. I didn't take many pics in London because I figured I could find thousands of pics on the internet and didn't want to be walking around with a camera out. I wanted to enjoy my trip. Taking pics can be exhausting! Luckily, I was right...

Here are some pics of Portobello Road, Portobello Market, and Notting Hill (couldn't find exact photos of Sam's place, but the picture with the apartments below is similar):



On Saturday morning, Sam had to work so I went for a walk on my own through her neighborhood, Notting Hill and Kensington. I am in love with London! James and I also took Dorian on a walk through Kensington Park. Dorian hated the cold. Absolutely hated it. So we didn't get very far. But here are a couple pics of this gorgeous city park:


On Saturday afternoon, Sam and I went to a couple pubs, then met up with James, Dorian and Sam's BF Jamie for Indian food. We had a really good night, though boy, is my tolerance low. I got massively drunk after 4 glasses of wine (over several hours) and promptly crashed when returning to Sam's around 9pm.

On Sunday, Sam and I took a double decker bus to Camden Market which was soooo cool. It was like a classy, English version of the Haight Ashbury. It was such an interesting mix of bright colors, new items, ethnic items and old architecture. I was in love. I bought so much stuff for ridiculously cheap, even by English standards. The best buy was an Indian tapestry, cushion covers, and a colorful throw for our couch in red, gold and purple hues. I bought wool tights and cool knit hat for me (the look in England at the moment is wool tights with riding boots, short skirts, peacoats and floppy hippie hats - a look I very much love and have been recreating over here)! I thought of the men in my life and bought a hippie shirt and guitar clock for James, English candy and a VW clock for my Dad (his birthday was Dec 31st), and colorful African art and wooden animal toys for Dorian. I also bought massive quantities of tea, Marmite (for James; I can't stand the stuff), Cadbury chocolate and HobNobs (the yummiest cheap English oatmeal cookie) to bring home. Here are some pics of Camden Street and Camden Market:




Then, Sam and I took the tube to Spitalfields Market, which was awesome too. It was great to see the East End, since I have always heard about it. Every part of London has its own feel and was one of the things I loved most about London. It is like 10+ different cities in one area. Then, Sam and I went to a couple more pubs. A couple pics of Spitalfields:


While we were out boozing and shopping, James and Dori went to visit with James' friend Jim from university. Here are some pics they took (doesn't Dori look thrilled to be in London?):


On Monday, we flew home. It was a short week-end in London, but very fun. And it even snowed lightly a couple times! I could totally see myself living in London - I LOVED it. I am much happier in a city. I don't know what it is. But I just love cities!