Full of dates and risotto, I sit to write, vowing not to stop until death, or when I get wherever I need to go. Today, I woke up late. Nine thirty local time, but about ten thirty by Italian time. I can't seem to get enough sleep these days. All the travel has me lagging behind no matter where I go. I was a little depressed this morning, too, since my awesome vacation is slowing down, and the only further opportunity for exploration remains in the vicinity of London.
Uncomfortable by how at home Gill is here, and feeling slightly alienated because of how like a stranger I am, I desperately looked up bus fares to Edinburgh with my morning. I found a way to get there for 50 pounds total, and had a place to stay with a couchsurfing host who seemed interesting, and at least funny. Unfortunately, it's a silly idea, because the bus ride each way is about twelve hours, and I leave London in three days. Edinburgh just isn't happening this time, and that's sort of okay. I can't help the urge to flee when I see someone I'm so close to be equally close, on a completely different level, to people I'm practically strangers with. I don't begrudge her happiness; I'm glad she's found a niche in the world; but I still feel left out of the community here, and this leads to loneliness, which leads to resentment, and a deep urge to flee far, far away. I just have to deal at this point, though.
We left the house to go to the post office and change some money for me. I got more pounds than Euros when I exchanged my money in the train station. Remember: never, ever change money in the station! On the way to the post office, we were getting all sorts of random male attention, which is a bit creepy, but slightly ego-boosting at the same time.
London is bright and cheery. I was unprepared for this, and wore a three-quarter-length shirt. I was sweating on the walk to the post office. It's amazing to see everyone in this city almost chipper when I'm used to everyone being dour and, at best, coolly polite. The sun shone, the birds sang, and it was warmer than any place we'd visited, including Rome.
We went grocery shopping with the money I changed, and I bought provisions for the next few days. Gill bought ingredients for dinner tonight (an artichoke risotto) and I got dates, hummus, carrots, apples, and two pre-made salads. I assume that should be enough to last me four days. From there, we went back to the flat, and the concierge asked us if we were going to barbecue. We weren't, since we're not nearly that talented, but we did go out to buy some shisha for Gill's hookah a little after. I first needed to launder some of my clothing, which was getting ridiculous. I'd had no clean socks whatsoever, and a dwindling supply of clean shirts, especially with the Ryanair fiasco in Italy when I ended up sweating through five layers of shirts for no real reason.
We took an hour-long bus ride to the Marble Arch, and walked to a store that sold shisha, according to a google search. They ended up selling a shisha imitation made from sugar cane refuse, but we bought some anyway, along with a tempting-looking watermelon and some gelati, which are a necessity when traveling. Then, we went back to the flat, and prepared a hookah. We were setting it up outside on the balcony when Gill and Diogo's other live-in guest, Rashed, came back. The three of us sat on the balcony smoking for a while, and then we all scattered to our separate pursuits. Gill began preparing the risotto at around five, Diogo came home at six thirtyish, and we sat down to eat at seven or so. The recipe was delicious, and only made with half a cup of rice. All four of us ate our fill, and the boys had seconds. Then it was a slice of watermelon for dessert, and Diogo's student came over for her tutoring session, so I went back to my room to read some more.
The Golum turned out beautifully, by the way. I've only just finished it, and that's what's mostly on my mind at the moment. It reminded me of the Prague that I could only guess at, visiting it as a tourist in this day and age. It was convoluted, and twisty, and bendy, and steeped in mythology and folk-lore; tradition and legend; the most corrupt aspects of human nature and the most saintly. It was fabulous, and read very quickly. I've finished it in three sittings, which is very quick for a book of its size. Gustav Meyrink is the author, and though the text was translated from German, it retained a sense of the magic.
Tomorrow, I think we're going sight-seeing, and then having a proper teatime in a little cafe somewhere in Kew. I'm excited, since I've already been to the cafe in Kew, and I love the ambiance, the waitresses, and the entire construct of the little tea house nestled in a pretty neighborhood next to a large garden. I'll probably be taking more pictures, so prepare yourselves!
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