City Life

London is really really similar to New York City. I know everyone always says that, and I have even been guilty of saying it once or twice, but today it actually hit me. Mariel and I were walking down The Strand today, and I actually forgot where I was. It was one of those moments where I wasn't really thinking about where I was or what I was doing, but then when I snapped out of it, I realized that I thought that I was home, in New York City. I felt like I was in high school again, just walking somewhere with a friend like we use to do after school or something like that. It was a really strange feeling, but it made me realize that city life doesn't have to be as bad as I remember it being. Yes, there are the occasional creepers, bad smells, and bomb scares, but if I could just get past those minor details, I don't think it would be so bad to move back there again. I don't want to get too ahead of myself though. Odds are four years from now I'll be whistling a different tune, which sounds exactly like something I would do. I wonder if I'll ever be able to settle somewhere.

Anyway, today we went to have lunch in Chinatown, and the food was really good and pretty cheap, which was a nice change. After that, we went to The British Museum and spent a few hours looking at Egyptian artifacts, Mexican art, and Japanese art. I'm really not a museum person, so I'm surprised that I was able to survive for that long. It was interesting though. My favorite part was the Japanese section because I learned about art in Japan during my Art of Zen class that I took over the summer.

After the museum, we hung out at Starbucks for a while. We needed a break after walking around in a museum for so long, and Starbucks is always so warm and inviting. So, while we were warming ourselves, we decided to go to dinner at this place called "Cafe in the Crypt," which is a restaurant that is located on top of a crypt. We pretty much ate surrounded by people's graves. I know this sounds weird, and it is, but we only went because my guide book said it was a good place to go. Anyway, the food was terrible! Whoever wrote my guide book is an idiot, and I'm never buying from that company ever again. AND, whoever decided to build a restaurant on top of a crypt is kind of sick.

After the weirdo dinner, we went to Leicester Square to have desert. We both ordered tiramisu because Mariel had never tried it before, and I was shocked. Now I kind of feel bad, because her first impression of one of my favorite deserts was mediocre. I have definitely had better, and it was more like a tiramisu flavored cake then an authentic tiramisu. So yeah, that was the end of our day. Tomorrow we're going to Buckingham Palace, and I'm finally going to get to see the changing of the guards! Yay!