London Calling

Speakers Corner, London
Originally uploaded by simpsonatti

After almost a year of living in Ireland, and as it's soon going to be my new home, I decided it was time to visit London again. My friend and fellow Duff admirer, Sam, who I met in Belize and traveled with in Mexico, invited me to his 30th birthday party.

After a long day at work, a 1 hour bus ride to the airport, the Dublin- Gatwick flight, a train then a tube ride later I was finally in London. It was near midnight by the time we got a long dreamed-of curry in Soho then back to Acton.

I had seen most of the tourist sites on my last visit to London, so it was great to just wander around on Saturday.We also had a fantastic lunch with a view from the Oxo tower. Saturday night was the party at the Proud Bar & Gallery in Camden, with live band a horse stable rooms, and it was great to meet all of Sam's friends, most of which he had met traveling in random places around the world, and who had come from across Europe for the party.

Sunday was a day of more great food and markets. Brick Lane was the highlight, with it's long line of Indian restaurants and markets. We also made it to Speakers corner, where an eclectic mix of the eccentric and insane united to reveal to London their secrets to the meaning of life. Suffice to say, I didn't become a fundamentalist Christian, British nationalist or free-hugs hippie, although I did ponder the idea of taking to the soap box myself and seeing if anyone would join my self-invented cult, which I am still working on.

London's a world in a city and I'm looking forward to living there. As long as I never become one of those Kiwi/Australian/Canadians who spend their nights at the Australian chain bars, getting nostalgic over Pineapple Lumps and Vegemite...