My unrequited love of London

A travel blog just for nostalgia's sake

Hello from London!

I love this mad city. For every person you pass speaking English, you pass three speaking another language. For every high-fashion girlie, you pass a gray-haired ex-punk. Everywhere I look, personal style delights and inspires. I’m in awe of the Tube—one of the oldest, largest, and most-used transit systems in the world, a complex web of tunnels across such a vast city and yet very user-friendly, once you get the hang of it. Parts of the Tube are so deep underground that I try not to think about it too much or else I might get queasy—better to focus on the fun names like Picadilly Circus and Swiss Cottage. I love how everyone has a little dog and seemingly every little dog is better behaved than the best-behaved dog in North Carolina (or Colorado, or California). I love this city because it makes absolutely no sense to have casinos and Poundland mere steps away from posh townhomes worth millions but nothing really needs to make sense when you live in a mad city like London.

Before I get carried away, though, let’s get one thing straight: I love this city despite the fact that I have a consistent record of experiencing health problems when I set foot in it. Dear reader, I am not so sure London loves me. I am writing to you sick but hanging in there. At this point, our goal is just to stay healthy enough to return stateside on Sunday :)

Health snafus aside, the current weather in London is nothing short of impeccable, which has added fuel to the flames of my love. The highlight of London has been walking along the River Thames in all its splendid glory—people-watching, dog-rating (all perfect), looking for sunny spots to stop and drink a cappuccino or a spritz. We also got to see some family, albeit briefly, including the newest addition to the family tree, born not even two weeks ago.

I am not sure my parents enjoy the chaotic parts of London as much as I do (in fact, I am fairly certain they don’t), though they’ve been good sports on public transit and thoroughly enjoying the moments of serenity along the Thames. We all enjoyed the long train journey from Edinburgh to London—gorgeous rural scenery made all the prettier by the unseasonable sunshine. Since I last newslettered, we also took a day trip to North Berwick, a seaside town northeast of Edinburgh, where we enjoyed some birdwatching, seashell picking, and 99 icecreams.

I’ve just realized that it’s getting late and I’ve got a lot of beauty/health sleep to catch up on so I’m off to bed—

Be well, all! Much love,

Claire

P.S. One meme for good measure—virtually the only cultural discourse I’ve vaguely followed this week (thanks to Neal for this particular meme and for continuing to keep me knowledgeable about the NBA now that I’m A Fan):