London calling

(Left Llanarth to Carmarthen on 30 July by car. Caught a train to London Paddington.)

London's calling me but not as loud as when I was 14 years old, when I dreamt of moving to London. Quite a surprise finding a city with a low skyline. I wasn't really expecting it to be so human-size.

I spent a week wandering around, looking for temporary orientation. I'm staying in Euston/Camden area. Very central, can walk everywhere. I've been exploring the city mechanism, looking for "authentic" places, away from the touristic routes. In these temporary settlement, the first thing I look for is finding where to shop for healthy food. I guess I toured every supermarket looking for my substitute for Pingo Doce (PT) or Esselunga (IT). Not quite found The One yet.

London is big. It is so very big you don't really get to see much. But the landscape is everywhere, it has no landlord.

I got baptized straightaway into some local rituals like touring the pub on Saturday night and a restorative Sunday Roast, with some new Italian friends. (Back to meat after great veggie food in July).

London's weather has been quite fair - if not definitely generous - with me. Therefore I could digest and take a Sunday nap at the park, but had a hard time varying my outfits for I left all summer clothes for Southern European hot summers.

As usual, I had to indulge with my personal obsession: laundry. (I can't stand accumulation of clothes to wash!). Went to a laundrette and waited half an hour for my stuff to get clean and kept myself entertained taking pictures, reading and observing my company in the shop. 

London is a good occasion to get back in contact with friends I hadn't seen in years. Nuno is staying in Brixton, a jolly multicultural neighbourhood south-east.

We went to a Latin-American restaurant where we ordered our meal in Spanish and then had a coffee in a authentic Portuguese café: eventually a real espresso! E um pastel de nata para matar saudades...(Finally I got back to fluent Portuguese.)

Met another friend (Audrey - therefore, back to speaking French) in South bank (National Theatre) and had a very long walk to the Tate Modern and back, crossed Waterloo bridge and went up North visiting Soho, the Opera House and all nearby streets.

London is full of green areas and runners. Everywhere. My friend occasionally runs in Brockwell Park within an event called Parkrun, a 5 Km run.
http://www.parkrun.com/home
I have my running shoes with me, although I haven't been running since 2008 or so. I convinced myself I could do it. So, woke up at 7 a.m. on Saturday morning and did my little bit of exercice, running really slow (couldn't help it even if I wanted to, but I didn't anyway) and enjoying the view.

Covent Garden on a Saturday afternoon is quite a busy place. There I met Diana (from the Inov-Art program) who gave me plenty of tips I will enjoy when I'll have more time.

One last hug and many cheers to Kyounghee on her farewell party in Wimbledon (she's going back to South Korea). Another hug and a quick chat over coffee with Joyce (from Jordan) at king's Cross station.

And back to packing. Off we go to another adventure.