When in London...

London is cold - but it's a good kind of cold. It's the kind of cold that makes you spring up and grab a scarf and walk quickly. When you breathe in the cold wind, you feel clean inside...unless you are behind one of the millions of smokers in this city. London is full of smokers - ew. I really hate coming home smelling like a cigarette and feeling gross. However, aside from their nasty smoking habits, Europeans are beautiful people.

There has been some great fashion here in London - of course I fit right in! Everyone wears very dark colors and women usually are dressed to the nines. Every woman I see has on some kind of boots, and tights are really in fashion here at the moment. Large handbags, scarves, and dark sunglasses are like appendages here. Additionally, the women here are of two types: stick-thin or super curvy. There aren't a lot of overweight people here (probably because walking so much is really good for your body) and almost everyone walks and takes public transportation (which requires a lot of walking in and out of stations, to stops, etc.) And they walk FAST. Us Southerners take our time and drag slowly to the next desination where there *might* be sweet tea. Here, these people are on the move - they are going places and they will push you out of their way.

But London has proved to be a welcoming city, as well. I have met some people here (none of them are native Londoners) who were very nice. I met a woman on the plane yesterday who was Polish and she didn't speak a lick of English - but we talked for about 2 hours. She actually thought I was a native German because I was translating on the plane when the pilots were making announcements. I pick up language very easily and had learned about 50-60 words by the end of the flight. I knew a few Polish words from researching in my WWII class last semester and I was able to communicate with her by gesturing, writing, and repeating her own words until I could understand.

Today, on the subway, I met a French girl who is living here and studying acting. She and I recited some lines from Macbeth and Othello together, which was fun. One thing that is strange is that everyone here seems kind of important - they are all moving quickly, dressed nicely, carrying electronic things and speaking quickly in foreign languages. Everyone I pass seems to be either a businessman or a tourist. I know there are regular people here - I've seen some of them - and they are easy to pick out. You can spot a native Englishman or woman simply by examining the nose, eyes, and teeth. Most of the Caucasian people with slightly reddish complexion and strong noses are native English. Our tour guide today, Chrissy, had a great accent and I picked up some neat expressions from her. One that I am particularly tickled by is the saying "Mind the door" and "Mind the gap," both of which are phrases that advise passengers to watch their step when entering or exiting some sort of transportation like a bus, subway, or elevator (which is called a 'lift' here).

Tonight I ventured into Picadilly Circus, which is essentially the "Times Square" of London. It was great - all of the large television screens in the street and the wild throngs of people everywhere. Very few people in the streets were actually speaking English, which I find ironic. Certainly, London is a world class city and many international travelers find themselves here. But I hear all kinds of languages around me on every street corner, swirling in this strange yet sweet global melody of discordant unity. I even danced in the street to an Irish bagpiper (who, after playing a song, caught his breath long enough to kiss his girlfriend very passionately!) Seriously, the way European men kiss over here is crazy - I see them grab these women (presumably their wives or girlfriends) and kiss them so deeply that I am sure the ladies will drop dead from lack of breath. It is like the men are trying to suck their souls out through their mouths - but it is all very sweet and romantic.

I am exhausted, to say the least. Today has been amazing and I'm sure tomorrow will be just as good. I have a full day of shopping planned after we visit Tower Bridge, Tower of London, St. Paul's Cathedral, and others for a self-designed walking tour. I am very excited! To show my excitement, I have posted a photo of myself here grinning like an idiot before entering Shakespeare's birthplace earlier today.

Cheerio, loves. More to come on the morrow.