My First Weekend in London

Here's a cocktail recipe for you to try:

Mix
1 part sunny Saturday afternoon in London
2 parts Amy Winehouse drag
1 part public display of drunkenness (keep separate from above until ready to mix)
2 parts bemused tourists
1 part bemused Londoners
1 part Peter and John

Shake gently and viola!
You have gay pride day in London.

We woke on Saturday morning with no plans. I was checking on the state of public transportation (which Tube lines have delays, etc.) when I discovered that it was gay pride day in London. The theme for London Pride 2008 was "Fairytales, Myths and Legends."We decided to go take a look at the parade and walk around the street festival. What we saw amused, disturbed and sometimes shocked us. Who needs to be staggering drunk at 1:30 in the afternoon? Well, a number of Londoners is the answer.

We meandered around for a few hours, had an expensive Malaysian lunch and bumped into an American couple John met back in December. We headed back home for dinner. I made a leaning tower of lasagna, well we did. It was a mix of cheeses and whole wheat pasta, but there wasn't quite enough pasta to bring the dish to a symetrical finish. Though it was a split-level lasagna, it was still pretty tasty.

Sunday has been a little more subdued. We have had our first day of traditional London weather. The skies opened several times today. We spent an hour walking around a wonderful old church and church yard, St. Pancras Old Church. One of the oldest sites of Christian worship in London and England as a whole, people have been praying there for 1700 years. We followed that up with a light lunch and a stroll. We are now back at the flat (I am being forced to speak the language) and planning a quiet night in.

More to come...