Then it was packing up and getting into my hotel in London. I wish the trip into the city was a simple as that one sentence makes it sound, but it was not. The trip from Brighton to Notting Hill took almost six hours door-to-door. First I caught a taxi to the bus station, then a bus back to Heathrow, then I waited for the Hotelink bus to take me to the hotel which it did - after a time.

During my wait at Hearthrow I sat and admired the amazing confluence of people who pass through that gateway to the world. The colors and sounds simply swirl around you. I saw Indian women in brightly colored silk saris, Middle Eastern women in full cover, and African women in gold stripped head wraps. Throughout the throng there were men; men in Indian pajamas, tweed business suits, and hip Japanese bell bottoms. Overall the colorful and diverse picture there played a variegated loop of languages as people ran for gates, pushed luggage, played with children, and assisted their elderly family members. Sitting and watching, for 40 minutes or so, was a visual and auditory treat for the soul, so many different cultures in one place co-existing for a time - simply beautiful.

By the time I checked into the Comfort Inn Notting Hill I was tired and hungry. First I called hubby, who I had not spoken with since I left Indy on Friday due to some strange problem with my MCI prepaid phone card. On a side note in our 15 plus years together this was by far the longest we have gone without talking to each other. LOL On a daily basis we probably talk on the phone at least twice during the day, usually far more often. Then after we talked it was off to find dinner.

I am a lover of the night but not the city at night, not usually that is. I do, however love London at night there is vibrancy and rhythm that is different then any other city I have visited. I do not by nature feel safe in the city period, especially at night. But in London I do not feel deeply unsafe. Of course that feeling only came after getting lost at night on my last trip and making it back to my hotel alive. LOL So I went wandering down Notting Hill Gate, which - by the way - is a street not a 3-D object, looking for food.

I settled on Caffe' Uno an Italian restaurant and café. I found out in the establishment that they had won the Italian Restaurant of the Year 2003. Food was excellent, service likewise, and the ambiance was outstanding. After dinner I wondered back to the hotel to wait for hubby to call from home then off to sleep.

Posted by prolurkr at September 22, 2004 11:26 PM

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