London, especially, is a city transformed when the sun comes out to play. The sun seems to magically inject people with a new vitality and lust for life and the outdoors.
This was the occurrence I witness upon my visit to the capital city this weekend.
I woke on Saturday morning to crystal blue skies, warm sunshine and crisp air. A good start to my journey already. So off I went on my very merry way to Jo’s place in Canada Water.
I think both of us were so eager to bask in the glorious weather, we immediately set forth to catch the bus to Greenwich Park. Greenwich Park lies smack bang on the footsteps of the Greenwich Meridian Observatory.
We found a patchy piece of grass, munched on our picnic munchies and did a bit of people watching. As you do. The sun was belting down and we retreated to some nearby shade on the other side of the park. And we just chilled, lying back and listening to the music of human commotion and activity all around us.
As the afternoon progressed, we walked to the Village. Well sort of. More like we stumbled upon a market with all these great stores. Quality European produce – especially the delicious Turkish Delight we bought.
I have never been to that part of London, but now I will definitely visit their more often. Another fascinating part of London’s multi cultural megalopolis.
So we trekked home, had a cup of tea and contemplated our next move. We were not going to stay indoors on an almost perfect evening. So out we came with the tube map, and let our fingers to the walking, where it stopped by Angel. We decided to just roam the high street and look at all the pubs, bars, cafes and restaurants before deciding on a place to settle. But we found this bustling little Turkish café and managed to secure a table on the street. The chairs were adorned in lush purple velvet and they had all these brightly coloured silk cushions (which we insisted on getting!). Anyway I think (ok I know) our waiter thought we were quite insane, but he warmed to us. As we sat to some authentic Mint Tea and Hookah, our waiter brought us shawls to wear (they had just been washed and smelled like flowers!). Talk about pampering! We felt like princesses! Anyway we tried all sorts of tea… Mint Tea, Turkish Apple Tea and then Mint Tea with orange blossom! Hey we had to try it, and I must say that if I were a flower, I would taste mighty fine indeed!
Before calling it a night, Jo made us some more tea and we went out to the bench by the water and had such a wonderfully insightful and energetic chat – at one point we realized how loud we were talking and how nuts we must of sounded, and in turn, erupted in fits of girly laughter!
Sunday arrived and the sun will still out in full force, although not as intense as Saturday which was maybe a relief as I was beginning to feel giddy with sunny happiness! Its so amazing the effect that sunshine has on you. Its such a life force.
Oh yes, so Craig kindly took us out for breakfast at a traditional English café down the road – very warm and welcoming in there. We lined our stomachs and headed to Regents Park for the Camden Green Fair and Bike Fest.
The Green Fair is to promote Environmental Day and London Sustainability Weeks. There are all sorts of campaigns and charities on show – I headed to the Climate Change and Friends of the Earth stall and chatted to some guy about my degree. But then he started rambling on about something and I couldn’t follow his train of thought, so I hopped along to the next stall. But there were also crafts and vendors offering organic and fair trade food and clothing. There was a stage where some unusual bands played thumping good tunes.
We met some of Jo’s friends throughout the day, and in doing so managed to get permanently lost and walked in circles and circles. But Jo got to have a few conversations with the resident ducks along the way, so happy days!
We finished off the day watching a bit of Street World Cup football between Columbia and Bulgaria in the one section of the park. I am not a sports fan (let alone a football fan!) but I enjoyed the vibe and energy of the game and of the fans.
After two such magnificent days, I was reluctant to leave and only arrived back home at 11:30pm last night.
But it was all worth it – bring on the English summer!!
Love, Happiness and Sunshine
Orangeblossom xxx
