I hope this blog finds you in good health and spirits, as the end of this year looms larger and larger. Personally, I chose to experiment with travel as a means of prolonging time, but I went the wrong direction around the globe and found myself in London, 8 hours ahead of my west coast timezone. So much for that idea, ha!
The entirety of my wonderful, sleepy family woke up at 4:30am on Christmas day to drive me to the Seattle airport for my flight, and I arrived at Heathrow bright and early on Boxing Day. As fate would have it, I arrived on the one day when the public transit employees were on strike, and had it not been for a wonderful Londoner friend of mine coming to the rescue, it may have taken me the rest of the day to extricate myself from the airport area.
So far, my time here has been quite relaxed. I love the public transportation system in London! Riding the tube is rather thrilling for me, being a country bumpkin as I am. And because London has more tunnels than our front lawn during a prolific gopher season, it makes getting around pretty simple, providing you can read and know the difference between north and south. Today, I managed to maneuver from southern London where I'm staying with friends in Brixton, up to Camden-town on the north fringe. There is a large street market there, and the atmosphere reminded me of the markets in Nassau, Bahamas. Everyone has a deal just for you, and you're hurting their feelings if you don't accept their offer to take your money. You know what I'm talking about.
Fortunately, I had carried my umbrella with me and waterproofed my shoes before leaving, as the rain began to really come down while I was walking in the bazaars. I stepped into a little tea shop to warm up, and found myself sitting next to a family of four. The parent's accents didn't sound british, but the kids might as well have been wrapped in the union jack given their accents, so I asked where they were from. Turns out, the father was from Seattle and both he and his wife had graduated from University of Washington, though they had lived in London for 12 years! They even knew where Walla Walla was! What a small world.
I should have followed my stomach's suggestion and had a slice of the carrot cake at the tea shop, but I didn't and soon after leaving I realized that it would be in my best interest to find some food. As I walked back toward the underground station looking for a little place to get something to eat, I passed a man who greeted me with "Hallo Darling, do you smoke weed?" I'm not sure if he was in need or had an excess, but it made me laugh a bit. Weed must be a big deal here, because EVERY time I have told someone I'm from Washington state, the first response is, "Oh! The state that just legalized marijuana, right?" Addictive news travels fast, apparently.
I found a delightful little restaurant on the corner across from the Underground entrance, and went to walk in the door, but a man sitting on the step told me I had to use the other door because "I needed to make an appearance on CCTV." I was unprepared for that, so I turned around and walked around the building to the other door. Turns out he worked there and was just joking with me, but I had missed it. Embarrassing. Anyway, I ordered chips with creme fraiche and sweet chili dipping sauces, since it was listed as a side dish and I just wanted something that would tide me over till I arrived back in Brixton. When the food was served, I realized that there was a reason Ireland had experienced a Potato Famine... it was because the Brits had taken all the spuds and made them into chips for me! The bowl was the size of a laundry basket; there was no way that I was going to consume that many potatoes! I ate as many as I could, ate three more, then summoned the Reich Family sprite of Waste-Not-Want-Not. It was then that I realized I had conceived a Food Baby. Until further notice, potatoes have been removed from my list of "food to eat."
Well, it's getting late here, and I want to be up bright and early to continue my observational tour of London, so I'm going to sign off for the night! Have a lovely day, wherever you may be, and I'll try to write as time accommodates and the bug bites. Happy New Years!
~Heidi
