It’s been a little over a week since I left London and I can say that I miss it (not as much as I miss you Em!). Why? Well, for one it’s an English speaking city and although I am not English in the traditional sense of the word, I do appreciate the ability to communicate as I wish instead of gesturing with my hands and face (imagine me rubbing my eyes and scratching my nose, more on this later in the Berlin and Vienna notes.)

As the first destination on my European tour of domination (aka. EuroSang 2009 Tour), I felt compelled to live it up — hostel style :-). To be serious, the place I stayed at indeed a hostel, not a 4 or 5 star resort, but it was located in a very nice part of London — near Hyde Park/Kensington High Street. Dave’s characterization of the neighborhood, “It’s like the Marina.” was a ringing endorsement, I couldn’t help but book the place. Generally speaking, the hostels throughout Europe are nicer than those over in Central America (my first experience with this type of accommodation).

Gloucester Road - Nice posh neighborhood in the Hyde Park/Kensington area. Our hostel is located just a few minutes from this street. Gloucester Road - Nice posh neighborhood in the Hyde Park/Kensington area. Our hostel is located just a few minutes from this street.

The first 2 days were filled with the typical tourist stuff, namely visiting museums, places of interest, and the mandatory local fish and chips boutique. Well, not exactly. In keeping with the English tradition of doing everything slight different (the pound, the 3 prong gi-normous plug that doesn’t work anywhere else), the first place we ate fish and chips at was an Italian restaurant.

Fish & Chips - The first fish and chips meal in London, but we got them at an Italian Restaurant...go Americans!

Some of my most memorable sights in London include Picadilly Circus and Trafalgar Square; both places just light up at night like Times Square in NYC. A beautiful sight to see. Elsewhere in the city are ornate, Victorian styled flats and buildings that bring shame to many other copies around the world.

Trafalgar Square by night.

Westminster Abbey - Gorgeous.

The best part of this destination was definitely the nightlife with a few good friends. Dave, Lauren, Tom, and Lan – thanks for coming out to visit and showing me around. Night number 1 and 2 would have been drab without you guys. While we’re on the topic of nightlife, let me just say that night number 2 between the hours of 130am and 530am was very memorable in that it resulted in one of the biggest hangover’s I’ve had in the past 6 months. Gary and Bien, you guys are animals…I hope Sarah is safe. Nhon, it was great seeing you too, hope you make it big and give your brother a few million pounds.

Well, I’ve got to be heading off now. Cheerio! (until I gather my thoughts on Amsterdam – and there are a few).