The Day I Was Home
Added at 6:08pm and filed under awesome, bff, family
So we’re back. Wait. Did I tell you I was going?
Friday I exchanged my trademark cool, calm difference and became a tourist for the weekend in London. Yeah. Seriously. Me. Walking around London with a camera around my neck like . . . well, someone who doesn’t live there.
I did live there. Lived there for a little over three years, actually. And I love that place – LUUUURVE it, like I love mugs of steaming hot tea and men wearing nothing but white coats. It sounds pathetic, but I actually get a physical sensation when I step off onto the train platform when we reach Paddington. It’s like I’ve come home . . . which is stupid, considering I don’t live there anymore.
Lots of people hate it: the noise, the busyness, the dirt, the insanity of the place. I have numerous friends who talk about how cool it is to visit there, but how they’d never stay. Me? I’ve never been like that. It’s such a gorgeous place; five hundred year old buildings nestled side-by-side with great glass monoliths, huge swarms of people and vehicles and history all wrestling for space. Much like I fell in love with Hong Kong the moment I stepped off of the plane, London has always had this insane intensity about it, and while my commute back and fore Selfridges (worked there for a little over a year in the ladies shoe department. I SUCKED) used to try and kill me on a regular occurrence, I still fucking loved it. No wait – I mean LUUUURVED it.
But there was none of that this weekend. We – M, S and I – jumped on the train on Friday morning and spent a long weekend with our friends who flew in from France doing family-stroke-touristy type things which included visiting the British Museum (crap), a boat trip down the Thames (surprisingly awesome) and S and his BFF visited the HMS Belfast with their respective Daddies for about three and a half minutes before, TERRIFIED at the dummies on the ship, they came screaming down the gangplank as though . . . hmm. I have no ending for that sentence as I have absolutely no comparator to the sight that met me. Heh. (Edit: as I was sourcing a photo of the wax dummies – since I had none – S wandered over to my computer and caught that photo of the butcher. He freaked. Silly boy).
Yes, it rained (check out previous entry for photographic evidence of that) and it was bitterly cold, but it also kind of rocked. I miss France Friends so, so much, so to spend an uninterrupted three-and-a-half days with them was bliss. :) (BTW, did I tell you that they were moving back to the UK again? How happy am I?!) The hotel was, without doubt, the best hotel I’ve ever stayed in in the city (which is saying something – I’ve sampled a LOT) and although we ended up spending an arm and a leg – about a limb and-a-half more than we’d budgeted for – it didn’t matter. Spousal arguments aside, we had a fantastic time, and the intense hands-on time with S was just priceless. I heart him so bad it hurts.
The entire set will be uploaded to Flickr shortly so you too will be able to see the majesty of the architecture and the beauty of the skyline. Regrettably, there are no pictures of the dummies on the HMS Belfast – S made me delete them the MOMENT he stepped off of the ship.
If you live there and you see this crap everyday, feel free to check out my photo of Derek Shepherd some more instead. Yummy.
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On 27 January, 2009 at 10:10 am, Tanya said:
Welcome back! Glad to hear you had such a fantastic time, and yay that your France Friends and going to be UK Friends again soon. :)
On 28 January, 2009 at 1:37 am, valerie said:
I know that “home” feeling, it’s the feeling that wells up in me when I’m nearing the tiny little town my great-grandparents lived in, and outside of town where their farm was… and I never even lived there! Yes, I know that feeling, too. :)
Glad you had a good time!
On 28 January, 2009 at 6:22 pm, Claire said:
They’re moving back already? Wow.
Glad you had such a great time – I’m dead excited about my upcoming “birthday” trip – we’re going to do the whole “touristy” thing too! (Main focus: Art galleries – I LOVE art galleries and it’s been a few years since I went to my last proper exhibition – I can’t wait)
BTW, what camera did you take? The D40 or your new Point-and-Shoot?
On 28 January, 2009 at 7:05 pm, Vixx said:
Thanks Tanya! Yep: it’s all gone a bit pearshaped for France Friends, and not quite what they envisaged. In fairness, the fall of the GBP against the Euro hasn’t helped at all.
Wells up is completely the right sentiment, Val – that sums it perfectly!
Claire – it was my point’n'shoot. Is that good or bad? How’re the pics looking? Photos okay??
V xx
On 28 January, 2009 at 7:13 pm, Vixx said:
p.s. Claire – couldn’t convince anyone to go to the Tate Modern. :( We went last time we were there but still . . . I heart the Tate.
On 29 January, 2009 at 12:32 am, Vi said:
Welcome back! Glad you had a good time. I’m saving up to visit London soon. My boyfriend has relatives that live there so we’ll be heading out to see them and to explore the city. :)
On 29 January, 2009 at 8:07 am, Vixx said:
Wish I had family members living in exciting places around the world …
V xx
On 29 January, 2009 at 9:14 am, Vi said:
Yeah, me too… my boyfriend does though, so he can be my tool for traveling around the world. Bwahahaha…
Ugh, I have insomnia… how are you doing? :P
On 29 January, 2009 at 3:44 pm, Claire said:
@ Vixx: Good choice on taking the P&S – And it can’t be a bad sign that I had to ask (and that I couldn’t just “tell”) ;)
I was all set to take my DSLR, but then I thought about it some more and thought that maybe it wasn’t such a good idea… So, it spurred me on to upgrade my P&S. (It should be coming tomorrow – I can’t wait!)
I heart the Tate Modern too – hopefully, we get to the Tate Britain too, I haven’t been there for about 8 years. :(
On 29 January, 2009 at 3:49 pm, Vixx said:
Ooh ooh ooh – what did you get?! If it’s better than mine I’ll kill myself. :P I didn’t have much of a clue what to get, so did my best on internet-based reviews. I plumped for a Canon for me to try both of the major brands and compare … although it’s like comparing chocolate and celery, isn’t it? Stupid, me. Stupid stupid stupid.
But yes, it was much, much easier to cart about. :p
Ash – I’m not bad, thanks! Hope you got over your insomnia!
V xx