barroviajero

I love London, and London loves me back

Perdon, dije que Guarulhos era grande? Guarulhos al lado de Heathrow es una cagada.

El vuelo a Londres estuvo increible, me fui al lado de una pareja de argentinos que no paraban de pedir y pedir mas botellas de vino blanco frances. Resulta que su hija se casa en Londres, y ellos despues se van a China, le estaban pagando el viaje a todos los hermanos que tambien iban a la fiesta. Argentinos con plata, pero adorables.
Y de tanto tomar vino blanco se me fue la hora y cache que tenia que dormir asi que me tome un relajante muscular, con mas sauvignon blanc.
Mala idea, me cayo mal y como vi que I was going to puke any minute now, I took the paper pag, I broke it open and I threw in. (Mientras no aparezcan los acentos, creo que voy a escribir en ingles, que alguien me de el dato).
Well, the thing is, there was no need in the first place to break the paper bag open, coz it was open, on its other end.
So I puked on my jeans, so this was my first surprise of the trip. Not a pleasant one.
But then, guess what? My argentinian friend called the gay flying attendant and he gave me a British Airways pajama, from the First Class.

I saw the lights of Lisbon, and the sunrise over Asturias, by the time we got to the UK it was all cloudy though.
And then we crossed the clouds, I had traded my alley seat for a window one. The plane started to fly in circles above the city of London, and I saw everything, from the Millenium Dome to Wembley Stadium. It was jawdropping, and I knew all the names of the places, and me and Emilia the argentian were shouting. London rarely looks so fabulous, she said.

Think London Eye and multiply that four times. It was like renting a balloon. And it was free.

So, what about prices? London ain't that expensive. The thing is, it makes you want to spend a lot of cash. I arrived too early to the hostel so I left my bags there and went for a walk. The British museum is free so I headed towards it, a couple asked me in the street how to get there. We talked like 4 minutes in english until they told me they were from Valencia!!

So, Rossetta stone. So, the winged bearded halfman halfbull statues of Sargon's palace in Khorzabad. So, the Elgin Marbles. Nekkid nekkid greeks. A moai too. So, the Museum's Gift Shop!!!

I'm glad coz I know I'll be back and then I'll buy something.

There was this installation at the museum, the life of two persons graficated by the medicine insume of their whole lives. From the vaccine at birth to the last dose of morphine.

My sleeping pill was there, of course, too.

Me and my map went everywhere, londoner steps, not hurried nor slow, through Soho til Regent's Street to collect my London Pass. A guy from Galicia attended me, he said "Puedes funcionar aca con castellano, casi todos lo hablan, es como Nueva York".
But I kept speaking english. It's my pride and joy.

A canadian gay couple took me a picture in Hungerford Bridge, after I offer to take them one, mine was with me in between the Big Ben and the London Eye. No time to publish pictures though. Internet is expensive. Although I found this place where is 1 pound every 30 minutes and that's cool. That's as good as it gets and it's just behing the hostel, by Leigh street.

What else, I went to the National Gallery, also free. Loved Rubens (!), and Botticelli. Went to Saint James Park, lovely pond with ducks and all. It's Bank Holiday, it cleared up, which means everybody is out wearing t-shirts and carrying maps and taking pictures. London Disneyland.
I stop a bobby and ask him , how many days like this does London have? ( I tell you, weather's been faboulous). He says "Not many, make the most of it".

So I walk and walk and walk, I'm hungry so I go to Chinatown, eat at this place called "The laughing Buddah", an amazing (delicious and big) dish of chicken noodles + meat soup at only £3.50. I pay glad.

What's not to love here. Everywhere there's wealth, everything is illuminated. I go to Soho Square, it's full of gay men everywhere, so I approach one. Turns out he's a dancer, not gay though. He's name is Kieran, he's from Bristol. We chat for a while, he has many gay friends he likes to hang out with them, but he has an italian girlfriend. He says I must return to this place later in the evening. He says I'm gonna have so much fun, and I'm already there.

A woman in the street hands me a flower and asks for money, "you are a gorgeus guy, you look like a celebrity, you must have a paper, no, not a coin, gimme a pound, no? well then gimme back my flower. Al cabo que ni queria.

So I look like a celebrity? Or she just said that so that I gave her money? How do I look? Right now I'm wearing smelly straight dark blue jeans, a "musculosa" and a black snail hanging from my neck. Yes, it's my amuleto.

Y el hostal esta muy bueno, I have two roomies, Jen and She-Ra. Yes, she says, just like the Princess of the Universe. The bed is nice, the shower is nicer. I sleep in a camarote, I'm bottom and some guy named Adam is on top. (insert joke here...)

So I just need a laundrette, and I found one, it's £3 for medium charge. I guess I'll have to puke some more.

posted by Barro @ 6:31 p. m.