London - last leg!! Miss me??

Wow! So much to say & I dont think I can write fast enough with all the thoughts going through my head.

I could bore you with details of train rides and mile long hikes to a £40 a night room on Strand in London overlooking the fire escape and a shower down the hall, but that would be too easy (although somewhat comical at the same time).

But strangely enough i feel at home here. The fire escape adds a certain character while the cheap ikea furniture makes me cringe, but the room is neat and clean and the bed doesnt feel half bad.

To be totally honest folks, London is a city. Its just a city. And although I have come to love the rippling life a city holds - having traveled through several in the last 3 and a half weeks - I can honestly say I MISS PARIS!!! Maybe i am somewhat swayed by the book I am reading - just finished by the way- but its true! London may hold such wonders as the Globe Theatre (smack dab in the middle of metropolis) and Buckingham Palace (ehh) it certainly hasnt "wow"ed me like other cities, most notably being Paris. Most of all I can see the invading globalization everywhere here in London with McDonalds, Starbucks, large department stores and vacant office buildings "To Let". Quite simply, it lacks the charm and passion most of the other cities held.

Although it took me quite some time to get used to a pharmacy only selling pharmaceutical products and never being able to find a store that sold hair conditioner, I now miss that part of Europe that i fell in love with the last few weeks. London is NOT Europe and Europe is NOT London. And of course there are drawbacks to the quaintness the other cities captured - hard to find internet cafes, metro systems that only run til 1am, shops and restaurants closing from 1pm to 6pm in the afternoon for "siesta" - I have grown fond of these idiosyncracies (Forgive my spelling). I find myself willing to walk the extra block with 3-4 stops to obtain all my necessities in exchange for a pharmasist who's sole purpose is to help you with your ailments (and not sell endless aisles of sugar candy and silly stuff animals according to the holiday). How about stopping in to the cheese shop and being able to ask whats the season's speciality. Or the butcher who can slice your meat extra thin or tell you the best way to cook it.

London doesnt hold that charm, eventhough the proprietor of my current sleeping quarters runs an indian restaurant downstairs and the cafe where I had lunch yesterday had a certain "family-owned-business" feel to it, it just doesnt compare to Paris in any way, shape or form.

I started out on this trip thinking London would be one of my favorite cities, when infact it is next to last on the list.

More to come, but i am out of time.

Hopefully I will see many of you at the coffee house tomorrow night!!!!!!