Day 4: Mind the Gap

  "Mind the gap."

  The warning that had become a familiar sound broke my reverie. I had been distracting myself by recounting the days events in my mind. Now that I had been so cruelly interrupted, however; I was all too aware of my surroundings. Even on a mild September evening the London tube felt like a boiler room. Sweat was trickling down my back, and I was sure my hair was sticking straight up like some deranged cockatoo. As I waited impatiently for the next train I returned to my musings.

  Sylvia and Steve had decided to stay home, and so it seemed the perfect opportunity for Greg and I to spend some quality time together. In short we got our shop on. First stop: Harrods, the shopping monolith. Yeah, you know it was way too expensive, but tons of super yummy designer clothes and shoes. We divined some trends right off the bat: fur, plaid, and old English hunting togs rebooted. We carefully made mental notes, and spent the rest of the day shopping on Regent's street for less pricey alternatives. We made a pact to pass any store that sold clothing we could get State-side. No Hilfiger, no Guess, and definitely no Gap. We didn't buy any thing that day, but you can bet our bags will be heavier when we return home.

  After returning to Paddington and conferring with our traveling companions we all went to dinner at The Gay Hussar, a Hungarian restaurant that has been in operation since 1953. It is a really small establishment with just enough room for a row of tables on either side of a runway for the waiter. On one side of the restaurant caricatures of famous politicians who have dined there hang above dark coffered wainscoting. On the other side mirrors reflect their images. It is a nice white tablecloth restaurant that serves the kind of delicious food my imaginary Hungarian grandmama used to make. Both Steve and I had the wild cherry soup as a starter and, as our eyes met, we both knew we were all in for a treat. Yummy dishes with flavors of dill and paprika. Can you tell I loved it? We will most likely return again before our holiday is over.

  After all that food Greg and I decided it would be nice to take a stroll around Soho. The evening in London's gay district had a Mardi Gras atmosphere. Music blared from overflowing clubs and pubs as we walked down streets filled with boozy British revelers. One venture inside a gay pub quickly convinced us that, even if we liked being packed into a bar like sardines, we would never get a drink. A short walk led us back to the tube station where the recorded announcement was once again reminding us to:

  "Mind the gap."

Day 4 Photostream