London (Day 1)

We got to London in the afternoon, so there wasn't a ton of time to see much that day. However, since we arrived just at the beginning of the Carnaval, we walked all the way from Paddington to Notting Hill (it wasn't clear to us newbies which tube stops were even working since some were closed down for the event).

We only had a vague idea how to get to Carnaval, so we just followed the sounds of crowds and music. At one point, two women came running by and asked: "Do you know where Paddington Station is?" Very broad accents, skimpy clothes, and one had a huge tattoo covering her back. They were definitely party girls. We pointed them in the right direction and they ran off. As we walked away, I heard them call after us again. "Are you guys gay?" I laughed and said "Yeah!" (as in 'of course, girlfriend!'). She looked like I'd just given her a Christmas present early. "Oh I love it!" she cried out. She opened her arms, so did I, and she ran back over to me, and we hugged. I was in a great mood after that, and I can't think of a better welcome from any city I've ever visited!

Needless to say, the festival was totally vibrant. There were some elaborate costumes, and the energy was terrific all around. There were stacks of speakers sitting along the streets everywhere. Lots of great music, food offered from the restaurants, and people could wander around with open beer bottles. On one corner, there was a stage with a DJ spinning some really crushing beats and a crazy guy shouting into his mike to get the crowd worked up. I could feel the bass reverberating in my chest cavity as we passed by. I found it exhilarating, but Jim seemed a bit unimpressed by it all.

We had arrived well before the full tilt insanity, though it was obvious what was coming. The barricades were set up a dozen blocks before we even got near the crowds, and many shops were completely boarded up as if they were expecting a hurricane to come through. We later heard that there were fist fights and a decapitation, so I'm glad we went at a relatively tame period. I've long since had my fill of event hysteria, and I was way too tired from the flight to get drunk.

Anyway, after we wandered around and snapped pictures like good little tourists, we found our way out, strolled through Kensington Gardens, walked past shops and hookah bars, and had dinner at a little Lebanese restaurant (a new ethnic experience for both of us). Great food, with free baklava for dessert. The best baklava I've ever had actually. Then we called it a night; we needed to rest up for our first full day in London!