London Thoughts

This afternoon we'll take the Chunnel train to Brussells, Belgium. I finally have a few quiet moments to reflect on my time in this ancient city. I'm sitting in a cramped internet cafe not far from Hyde Park.

London was definitely as expensive as I'd been forewarned. Usually the prices given were about what I would expect in dollars, not in pounds. I had to keep reminding myself that I'm in Europe, not Asia. I will have to spend some money on this trip.

Poor Meridith has had to listen to a lot of Asian monologues. My life was Eastern for almost two years. I keep comparing East and West. Driving around London, I think about Hong Kong. I compare architecture styles. It's hard to understand the East if you haven't been there, and if you haven't been there, you probably don't really want to hear about it. I'll try to not bore Mer too much more.

This morning we were packing up our stuff when one of tonight's guests came in with his stuff. Meridith told him that if he waited a minute, he could have her bottom bunk. I guess he really wanted it because he hovered behind her as she packed. When she stepped out to brush her teeth, he moved the rest of her stuff off the bed, made up his bunk and laid two pair of underwear out very neatly and left. Odd.

I'd never stayed in a dormitory in a hostel before and the experience was different than what I expected. Instead of loud busy partying, we encountered quiet people who often were asleep before we got in at the ungodly hour of 10:30 pm. Our first dorm mates were friendly and chatty at least. Last night's seemed to be mute. I like talking to people, but the quietness of the room was definitely something I appreciated - until the guy in the bunk below me started to snore.

I enjoyed my time in London. It is a nice place full of history and great stories. However, it failed to capture my heart. We're undecided if we'll even come back before flying out of Gatwick. Maybe we'll end the trip in Brighton instead.