A Lady in London

I never thought Bordeaux would be such a big city. Every time I pictured it in my mind, I imagined rolling hills with green grape vines and crumbling chateaux. I did not picture a bustling urban space with chain shops and busy streets.

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Autumn has finally arrived in London. After a bit of a sunshine teaser earlier this week, the weather has become significantly cooler. As such, I’m starting to get excited about my upcoming fall and winter travels. One of the most exciting trips I have in the pipeline is a two-week jaunt to Singapore, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam over New Year’s.

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I haven’t been to a TGI Friday’s in years. When I was in college I spent a semester studying in San Diego and worked as a hostess at a restaurant in Del Mar. After my shift was over, I used to go to the TGI Friday’s in La Jolla to meet up with friends. In those days, none of us was old enough to order alcohol, so we stuck with food.

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On my last day of work in Brussels a few years ago, my coworkers took me out for lunch. It was the beginning of mussel season, and the city was abuzz with excitement. My colleagues chose a restaurant near our office and took care to pre-order our moules frites a day in advance. It was that serious. I wasn’t a foodie back then (shocking, I know), but as soon as I tasted the first mussels of the season, I knew that I had found my favorite Belgian meal. Since then I’ve been on a quest to find the perfect moules in every city in which I live.

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London doesn’t have much of a skyline. Unlike Manhattan or Chicago, the city lacks the iconic skyscrapers that form the backdrop of movies, posters, and TV show logos. With the exception of the Gherkin, Big Ben, and the London Eye, there aren’t many recognizable buildings in London’s cityscape.

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I haven’t been to the races since Royal Ascot in June. It’s hard to believe it’s been that long.

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I didn’t mean to run a marathon. It kinda happened by accident. Like most things in my life, I was there for the food. And the wine. And the beautiful scenery. I guess I just got caught up in the moment and decided that running a marathon without training for it would be a good idea.

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When Sony Pictures’ PR firm emailed me the other week about coming to a screening of the movie Eat Pray Love, I was a bit hesitant to say yes. Having read the book a few years ago, I was afraid that the movie wouldn’t live up to it. I also wasn’t sure I could imagine Julia Roberts playing a convincing Elizabeth Gilbert.

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I’ve always been curious about all of the huge old homes that line The Mall in London. Set back behind gates and gardens, it’s hard to see the exteriors of the residences of the Prince of Wales and other assorted aristocrats.

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Walking through Alexandra Park in north London, the last thing I expected to see was Bedouins. And camels. And snakes. Maybe the sheep made a little sense, but the donkeys certainly did not. Well, on this particular day they did. It was Secret Cinema, and the theme was Arabia.

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Tell someone you’re going to east London and you’ll get a wide variety of reactions. Some people frown and ask “why?”, others get a glazed-over look and admit that they’ve never been there, and still more people peer excitedly through their hipster glasses and ask you where exactly you’re going.

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