everybody's lost (12791)

everybody's lost
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Monday February 02, 09

here is london.... giddy london...

03:15 PM

is it home of the free or what?

wow... London was fabulous.... it was just how I imagined it to be, but in a good way...
I liked it a whole lot anyways.... it was like visiting your dear, sweet, witty old grandfather..... while my own town here is more like a boisterous teenager.....
does that even make sense?
some things I've noticed - I always feel like I'm a super fast walker/fast talker here, but even I can't compete with London crowds - my god, are they all quick.... but i loved it.... my kind of town....
and there's beauty and history around every corner....
and I got to meet a fellow solo-er who graciously welcomed me into her home (our very own ms. almareallymatters). A great host and so much fun and again, I *thought* I could handle my liquor, since round here, I more than hold my own, but i couldn't compete - I had to signal defeat halfway through night 2 and that's never happened to me before....

everything in England was tinged with Morrissey and/or TV shows.... all the signs, neighborhoods - all had only existed through morrissey's voice and through my television set..... up until last week.... and now - there it is - all real and solid..... my very own version of England.... I am mine.... everything from Battersea, Piccadilly (palare), Vauxhall... to Torquay (that's a real place?) to Slough (that's a real place too?) to Shepherd's Bush (Holland Park!) and even Notting Hill.... all real now....

I saw Big Ben and went on the London Eye... I walked around Covent Gardens, Leicester Square and Trafalger Square.... and Piccadilly Circus... all with this quiet contentedness... feeling like, finally.... here it all is.....
I went to Westminster Abbey and it was literally breathtaking - just staring up and up.... walking worn melty-looking floors through ancient doorways... I was quite taken with all the little nooks and crannies just as much as the majestic ceilings. every little wood railing and tile was magnificent..... britain's oldest door? fascinating... I wanted to examine every inch of it - who made it? who's touched it? who cut the wood and sanded and placed the pieces together? and who's walked through it?? who's eyes have seen it just as i'm seeing it now?
I lit a candle for my dad but I didn't pray or anything resembling prayer because my head went blank, I just thought of him for a minute.... thought of this little candle lit for him, in this ancient place, by me, the daughter he wouldn't even recognize....
he'd been to London though - of all the places I've visited in my life, this is one that he's actually been to, this is one where I didn't have to feel a pull of sadness about his having missed out on so much....
on our way to America, when we came here to live, we took a ship..... I think my parents thought it'd be more fun than just flying..... and on the way, we stopped by Amsterdam and London.... and we saw Big Ben and St. Paul's and westminster and then we were outside of Buckingham palace when they announced the birth of Prince William....
my two year old self stood in front of the palace gates and now my 29 year old self stood there.... wondering what my parents must've thought - being there on their way to a 'new' life that turned out harder and grittier than the one they came from....

I wanted to see the changing of the guards but I missed it once and then it was cancelled due to the rain the second time I went....
I saw Windsor castle too - and cobblestone streets and old houses; homes that have stood there for longer than the U.S. has even been a country....

and during my trip, morrissey tickets went on sale... they had seemed very important as I was leaving the states - urgent - must remember - must get tickets.... and then half of the day passed before I was reminded about my tickets being on sale and after a moment's panic, I had them.... but even then, the thought had crossed my mind, quite casually - well, if it's sold out, then it's sold out.....
there's more to life than moz you know.....

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  • Simply had to pop by my darling to say how much I enjoyed your London travelogue...your lovely writing really evoked the sights and smells and sounds of the city...fabulous!

    But more importantly I just wanted to say what a pleasure it was to have you as a houseguest...and that your welcome here at Chez Alma ANYTIME! We are all missing you dreadfully since you left and hope it won't be too long before you hop back over the pond?

    As for the drinking bit...well...what can I say?...I CHANGE MY PLEA TO GUILTY! ;)

    Love Alma xxx
    almareallymatters -- Tuesday February 03 2009, @01:54AM (#320303)
    (User #15430 Info)
    Pretty Girls Make Gravy http://www.myspace.com/almareallymatters [myspace.com]
  • Wow, sounds like a fabulous trip! Loved reading about your time in London. I am heading over there in April/May & have never been anywhere before, so I'm feeling quite nervous. If your home town is a teenager, mine is an octagenerian! I'm worried about the change of pace, of being in a big, fast paced city. But, equally excited too! Especially as you mentioned all the history and landscapes that I seem to 'know' through music/TV but will become 'real' through visiting there.
    And I have managed to get at least one ticket to a Morrissey concert :)
    M-in-Oz -- Tuesday February 03 2009, @05:55PM (#320330)
    (User #13934 Info)
    • Re:you're back! by everybody's lost (Score:1) Tuesday February 03 2009, @07:03PM
      • Re:you're back! by M-in-Oz (Score:1) Wednesday February 04 2009, @04:18PM
        • Re:you're back! by everybody's lost (Score:1) Thursday February 05 2009, @08:24AM
  • Have you got any pictures?
    Anonymous -- Wednesday February 04 2009, @04:58PM (#320371)
    • Re:London by everybody's lost (Score:1) Thursday February 05 2009, @08:21AM
      • Re:London by Anonymous (Score:0) Friday February 06 2009, @11:55AM
        • Re:London by everybody's lost (Score:1) Saturday February 07 2009, @12:56PM
          • Re:London by Anonymous (Score:0) Monday February 09 2009, @03:12PM


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