"Met any interesting people?" "A few"
"Really? Are you sure you aren't spending every night out on the town?" "I'm sure."
"Have you found anything fun to do near your flat?" "Yes, there's loads of stuff to do around here."
"You do realize the legal drinking age is 18, right?" "Yes, and, no, I haven't taken advantage of that."
(Sadly, questions 1, 3, and 5 are all compliments of my parents who are understandably, if unnecessarily, worried about my self-discipline.)
I've been asked so many questions by my friends and family back home that it's sometimes hard to muster up more than a one or two word answer to a question which I could spend an entire hour answering . The hardest question to answer, however, is "Where do you plan on going?" I honestly thought at the outset that I would spend my weekends off touring the rest of Europe. In my head I'd planned out trips to Spain and Italy and Austria and Greece. Little did I know the allure of London would keep me home most weekends.
To date, I have gone on exactly 1 trip (an extended weekend in Bath with my flatmates). Every other weekend I have simply wandered about London until I saw something that piqued my interest. The first time I pulled on my hiking boots and went out for a stroll I stumbled upon the Camden Market district. After spending an hour in the stalls and more money than I care to admit to, I emerged quite a few pounds lighter but with a couple new leather notebooks and a wonderful cup of apple cider. The subsequent weekend I walked out to Shoreditch to hear if the bells really say "When I grow rich". On the way I found myself in Islington so I decided to search for the flat corresponding to the phone number 22079460347. To my disappointment I didn't find the flat, much less a man with two heads and three arms or even one Ford Prefect. Fortunately I happened across a lunchtime food market between Shoreditch and Islington which greatly improved my mood.
Obviously I could pile example upon example and story upon story of all the various markets, shops, and curiosities I have found in London, but that would almost certainly be as stultifyingly dull as your average tri-d. I will say only one thing more. If you find yourself in London and you're feeling overwhelmed by all your weekend options, there is only one truly pertinent piece of advice:
Don't Panic.
No comments:
Post a Comment