Cool is London

The people, their clothes, their shoes (omigod the shoes!), their hair, and the city itself is so cool. It's a coolness that doesn't come from money or wearing expensive designer clothes. They're cool because it's their original style.

London itself is loud, busy, dirty and people are everywhere, but I love it. It has a vibe to it that I've never experienced before.

Yesterday, I started my own walking tour at one of London's city park, Hyde Park. It's huge - you can't see the end in any direction. It's open green space with gigantic trees, flowers, a large swimming pond, a water fountain, playground, and several interconnecting bike trails. A water fountain memorial for Princess Diana is located here, too. It's a lovely park.

From there I walked south to the middle-class neighborhood Kensington. As in all of London I've seen thus far, coffee/bakery shops are so common that it's not unusual to have 2-3 on one block. And they're good bakeries.

As I continued my walking tour, I passed Buckingham Palace; St. James park, another beautiful park with a riverwalk; Trafalgar Square, where a royalty car passed; and The City (downtown) where I grabbed bite and a pint (OK, 2). My goal was to walk to the Tower of London, but I've already walked at least 10 miles and my body hurt.

On my way home, I walked through the neighborhoods Covent Garden, China Town and Piccadilly Circus. Wow.

Covent Gardens consists of quaint cobbled streets with restaurants, bars, shops, and theaters. Many of the streets are for pedestrians only. It kind of reminded me of New Orleans. China Town had the same setup.

Piccadilly Circus which has been compared to New York's Time Sqaure -- some say it's better, I dunno know, never been to NY -- was crazy. It's interesting to me to see American restaurants in London. Does London really need a TGIF's? I don't think America needs one.

After 8 hours of walking, I took the tube home and had a couple of pints at the neighborhood bar where I met a friendly group of Brits and traveling Frenchmen. It was a nice end to my day.