Arrival - London

“Too much safety seems to yield only danger in the long run“ - Aldo Leopold

So here we are at Trafalgar Square in London, England for two nights. So far, so great! We've spent most of our time walking around, getting acquainted with the city, the people; seeing all the tourist attractions (traps), etc.. Honestly speaking, London is everything I assumed it would be, good and bad. It's a civil city with charm and an enormous amount of history with fantastic architecture. The pubs are filled with character, and the tasty warm ales hurt nothing at all. However, the weather has done very little to change my preconceptions of gloom. Since we've arrived, I've seen the sun twice (briefly), and the rest of the time it's been overcast with that constant drizzle commonly associated with the city. No worries though! I find myself welcoming the cloudiness as a resident of London; accepting it for what it is.

Sweet Jesus is it expensive here! London makes New York look cheap. How do people working here come out in the green? Seems to me they would be constantly taking one step forward and two steps back, getting chewed up and spit out by the thousands, sent packing back to wherever they came from, but I suppose my ignorance on the subject is evidence enough as to why I don't have a full time job, yet alone work in London.

The People? Well, first off they speak English – that helps. A very direct and literal people - the English. It seems they are always willing to discuss and lend whatever knowledge they've acquired – I respect that. Moreover, they are friendly and helpful. Not one time yet have I gotten a bad vibe or a rude attitude. It's comforting to visit a place where that is the case. Now, I'm sure the English have a great sense of humor in their own right, but I've gotten the impression sarcasm is lost on them, or maybe it is just our kind of sarcasm; who knows, but there has already been multiple occasions where I've said something sarcastically and gotten a look as if they thought I was being serious: not sarcastic, just unintelligent. Maybe they knew I was being sarcastic and just thought the sarcasm was stupid, then the jokes on me right?

Lastly, my apologies go out to all before me who have been allowed to try black pudding. My good word it is terrible. I would love to sit here and say I enjoyed it for it's rich and different flavor, but that would be unfair to everyone who has never heard of it and could find themselves one day in a situation where they are presented with the chance to taste it. I would never forgive myself, and that inevitable “what the fuck is this?” face they get would be my fault. I don't know exactly what it is but from what I gathered it's pig entrails coated with salt, why it's called “pudding” is a question I don't want to know the answer to.

Overall, I think London is a wonderful city that is hurt only by it's food and it's sky high prices.