Some more impressions of London:

• Best city parks and gardens I've ever seen. And they are filled with people - young people, old people, lots of kids and families. Walking through a park, any park, is an incredible glimpse of the population of London. So many different cultures, languages, people. And, at least on Sunday, people dress much nicer for a day out than they do in the States. I've never seen so many skirts in a park before.




• If New York is the city that never sleeps, London is the city that is never open. Things close early in the evening here, even compared to what we're used to in Redneck Valley. Or they don't open at all. I can't tell you how many restaurants were closed this afternoon. I'd always heard that people work less in Europe, that they value vacation and leisure, and I have definitely seen examples of that in this city. I admire that. Although, as a tourist, I find it annoying, especially when I am starving for lunch and nothing is open!




• Peeing in public seems to be commonplace. We've now seen two sober men, middle of the day both times, peeing in a corner. In public! And also I saw a mother walk her little boy over to a tree on the sidewalk, along a busy street no less, and help him pull down his pants to pee. That is unacceptable! But I'm certain it's because you have to pay to use most public restrooms. I think that is also unacceptable, but for crying out loud, please stop peeing in public, people!




• The color pink is big here, for men and women alike.






As you arrive on the Tube into a station, there's often an automated recording that tells you which station it is, to which lines you can transfer, and what the next stop will be. I've been practicing my British accent by repeating these phrases over and over again. "The next stop is...Marble Arch." I think I repeated "MAH-ble Ahch" a thousand times today as we walked down the streets. Rob was ready to push me in front of a double-deck bus.


Stonehenge

We were stopped on the street by Americans today who asked us for directions. Rob helped them, and after hearing his voice the lady said, a bit surprised, "Are you all from the States?" They totally thought we lived in London. I find this particularly pleasing because whenever I go to a new place I try to dress and act like the people there. Apparently we're doing pretty well. Now if someone will just ask me something to which I can respond, "MAH-ble Ahch," I think my transformation will be complete.


Roman Baths in Bath

I'm curious about what the news coverage of Hurricane Katrina is like in the States, because over here, at least today, it was mostly about the looting and raping in New Orleans, how "the most powerful nation on earth" has "finally" appealed to the world for aid, and how Bush's aid response is a defining second-term disaster second only to the "disaster in Iraq." I can't say I take offense to any of the BBC reporting, but I am interested to compare what we're hearing here to the angle that US news companies are taking.


Big Ben

My favorite thing today was picnicking on the grounds of St. Paul's Cathedral. Tomorrow Rob will work in his company's UK office (this trip is part business) and I will do the one thing I most enjoy without Rob - SHOPPING!

Enjoy your Labor Day!