London: Settling In

The first two days of my time in London were some of the hottest ever recorded. 36 degrees in London mugginess is no joke. The tubes were like saunas. The Londoners were all gadding / flitting about in shorts / sundresses, talking about how great it was, but moaning all the while. I've also been sleep deprived; I never get much sleep the night before a trip, and had almost none of the 27-hour journey, so Monday was a bit of a hot mess. 

On day 1, my friend Anita came down to help me with my sim card situation and give a general welcome to Old Blighty. We took a river cruise from Chelsea to Greenwich and ticked off a lot of Monopoly Board London on the way. I saw the Tower of London Bridge, and the Houses of Big Ben, and a very hot swan. And I saw the Cutty Sark, and it was hot. And we had Chinese food in Soho and it was hot, went to Leicester Square for about five seconds and it was hot. Anita went home and I crashed about 9pm, delirious.

Next morning I took in Kensington Gardens and was reminded of how butt ugly the Palace is, and how they really should just knock it down to make room for more dog-walkers, squirrels, joggers, and people doing Tai Chi, which is really what the park is for. I saw a swan. Maybe the same one. 

Then I relocated, to my longer term place in West Kentish Town. Most of the people near my place are either West Indian or Arabic background, and it has a vibe quite different to Kensington, by which I really mean it's much cheaper and lots more fun. En route I spent a few hours in Camden Town, about a mile south. In the 90s, when I was last there, it was still a cheap, slightly sleazy market area with good deals to be had. Now it's hipsterized hellhole. You can't always go back. 

But sometimes, you can. Yesterday evening I walked up to Hampstead Heath. I was last there in the winter of 1995, when Louise and I got engaged. It's still good. That winter, it was almost abandoned. In high summer, the bathing pools that mark the headwaters of the River Fleet were chockers with desperate Londoners trying to cool down, and people picnicking in the browning grass. The Bronze-Aged tumulus still has no signage, despite being one of the most important archeological sites in London. It's a weird old hummock covered in trees in the middle of a mowed field. I love it. Picture to follow. 

Then I returned to Kentish Town and crashed, again. I think I have successfully ticked off all the nostalgic and basic tourist London I needed to do, in the first few hot and sweaty days. 

It's day 3, lunchtime. I just walked Walthamstowe Wetlands with a friendly bird expert I met by chance, and saw about 25 new species. But that's a story for another post. 

Pics to come when I rig my card reader up later on...

Steve.