Loving London

Kelly: London is a comfortable Paris.
Paris is massive. London is massive.
Paris is fashionable. London is fashionable.
Paris has amazing food. London has amazing food.
Paris has amazing history and architecture. London has amazing history and architecture.
Despite the similarities, London seems much more doable. Perhaps the reason is that the language barrier doesn't exist. Although, some of the words like, "bobbies" and "aubergine" could be another language! We found Londoners to be very welcoming and willing to take time to explain directions or to check on food ingredients.

We stayed with a lovely English woman who had lived in England all of her life, spending most of her time in London, summering in Somerset and France. How amazing does that sound! She lived in an adorable, historic rowhome near Holland Park. Matt and I quickly came to feel at home in this residential neighborhood just west of Notting Hill. We ate so well, which was a joy for me given that I'd been struggling with the newly diagnosed food allergies. Matt found cider and became inspired to brew his own when we return to the states. We walked about 14 miles the first day and didn't even scratch the surface. So, with Rick Steves' blessing and the encouragement of our proper English hostess, we bit the bullet and hopped on the hop-on, hop-off bus. It served the purpose of moving us from one tourist destination to another. We detoured and spent a few hours at the Tate Modern where Matt awoke, both literally with the help of a stellar latte and figuratively with the lofty space inspiring new creative ideas for living.

And now, we are back in cloudy, cold Germany. If you couldn't tell, I'm not looking forward to work tomorrow....