A little bit of London

Having slept most of the way from SF to London (minus time for Grand Torino, which was fantastic, and a 10 minute dash between planes at JFK), I felt refreshed enough to venture into London during my 8 hour layover. Glad I did! The Tube was an easy hour ride from the terminal to Picadilly Circus. I wandered around SoHo for a few hours -- caught a cat nap on the lawn in front of St. Anne's, a 17th century church that has had some unkind facelifts over the years but retained some charm; scarfed some noodles at Wagamama, which I know I could have done in Cambridge, MA, but which still felt like a Londony thing to do somehow; got the most polite proposition from a prostitute that I've ever come across; discovered that diet coke UK-style is even more delicious than it is in the States (black cherry - mmm!) and caught the Tube back to Heathrow, where I'm now waiting for my connecting flight to Cape Town. Happily, Luis has arrived there a few days before me, so I'll have the insane luxury of being greeted at the airport by a familiar face in a very unfamiliar city.

It feels fantastic to be on the road again. I feel so energized and alive hopping on new subways, wandering aimlessly through new streets, being happily and completely occupied by the here-and-now sensations of life.