In my various trips to Europe I have more and more frequently visited England. At first I wasn’t all too keen on it, because there were so many other places in Europe I found more intriguing and exotic, but like before, I decided to at least spend a few days getting to know America’s “mother country” a bit better. I think my daughter’s infatuation with London during her relatively brief two visits here with me a few years ago made me look at it in a different light. She was fixated on every moment we were there at how beautiful the city was and how European it was, yet she was not intimidated by the fact that they speak English (her “language” although she’s pretty darn fluent in Italian. I am actually fascinated by the intensity of London, which reminds me very much of New York, and it’s use of the English language in subtle ways that vary from how Americans use it. I also love seeing the variety of people, which nearly meets the variety one sees in New York. I don’t think it was quite this diverse thirty years ago. It is an expensive place, but I did have a great time meeting some great people and hanging out in the hot tourist spots like Waterloo and Soho. As you will see some of the local bears I’ve known in person or from the Internet invited me to their gatherings. At least ten of us went to the birthday party of my friend Richard Whent. It’s great how you can feel so at home in the bear community and how many people know each other from online or from their own travels and relationships, despite the distances and, in some cases, language barriers.
The place I rented was a little bit further out of central London than I would have preferred, but relatively simple to get to. I am a little disappointed at how early the nightlife seems to end here, as compared to other European places, even on the weekends in the summer. The weather was wonderful and where I stayed in Surrey Quay was very quiet, perhaps too much so, but lovely so close and convenient to stroll along the River Thames. This was my very first Airbnb.com experience and my host was great meeting me on the street on the way to the Tube to introduce me to his place and even providing me with the converters that I would need with my American appliances as I had neglected to remember that the UK does not use the same electric plugs as the continent of Europe (which even Iceland uses).
One of the cool new things I saw this time is the skyscraper called the Shard. I’m not sure of all of the history in the making of it yet, but it was quite a site to see rising from the skyline. In the video below you will see my Sardinian friend Marco giving me a bit of a tour. My little brother was born in Calgary where Marco is from and I met Marco several years ago when I was in London, so it was great to see him again and have him be one of my tour guides. I also got to practice my Italian with him, of course.
