The window is open, and from my hostel bed I hear the night sounds of London. It's a melody of grinding underground trains, hydraulic air of buses stopping, men chatting outside the pubs, and the occasional long winded honk of a driver who is still frustrated from the office.
I had two pints of Innis Gunn IPA from the bar downstairs, and the generous levity provided by those two glasses has left me in a thoughtful and nostalgic mood. My extended travels are nearing an end, and although I spent most of the day working on my resume in preparation to merge back into "the real world," I still carved out a few hours to walk around the city and take in the essence of it.
Amidst the sharply dressed London natives, it didn't take long for me to feel insecure about my outfit. My jeans haven't been washed for a week, I'm wearing proper Colorado hiking books (I'm literally the only one wearing hiking boots), my grey turtleneck was salvaged from the lost-and-found of the yoga teacher training I attended in Spain, and my scarf looks a bit "Irish countryside" with it's green paid pattern. I smelled better that I look - I think - despite my hostels' lack of hot water.
Anyways, I give credit to the people of London for raising the bar of style even in foggy, damp, weather. I'm not quite sure how some women can maintain a brisk pace on uneven ground, in rain, in heels, hair perfectly coiffed, while carrying the heavy attitude of English indifference to the chaos around.
I spent the afternoon in an amazing coffee shop called The Wren. The building used to be a church, and a rather fine one at that, with vaulted ceilings, stone exterior, and stained glass windows. Now it's a cafe that serves things like avocado and smoked salmon toast to banker types, and there's a projector screen situated where the altar used to be. In progress and poshness we trust...
Anyways, enough rambling. Despite my suspicion that I almost got robbed this afternoon, and the creepy drunkards that I think whispered "pistol whip" and snickered when I walked by, London is a city full of charm. It is, and feels, like the older, wiser cousin of New York. Tomorrow is my last full day here, so I hope for a bit of the sun that the forecast is promising.