What better way to spend the 4th of July than in London eating fish, chips and mashy peas? Yes, I shook off the shackles of America's oppressors by enjoying the finest cuisine and beer (not pictured) they have to offer! And shopping and partying, of course!Before heading to London on the Eurostar (2 hours ... it is ridiculously close) Friday afternoon, my colleagues and I celebrated the 4th of July in Brussels by feasting on burgers and fries at the local American sports bar, Fat Boys. Yes, it is called Fat Boys. The burgers aren't particularly good, but apparently it is the place to watch American football when the season starts so it will probably be fun to go there on Sundays in the Fall and hang out with other Americans.
I went to London to hang out with my friend Justin who is there working for Feds. I would tell you about how amazing his apartment in Marlybone is, but I am still oozing with jealousy and don't think I can bring myself to. 
As luck would have it, the weekend I visited was Gay Pride, so we got to see the parade I missed in D.C. The guy in the photo below was my favorite spectator. He had some weird oven mitt he turned into an alligator, fastened on a stick, that he would snap at all the people who went by. It was ridiculous and totally entertaining. At least he was having fun and not hurting anyone.
As luck would have it, the weekend I visited was Gay Pride, so we got to see the parade I missed in D.C. The guy in the photo below was my favorite spectator. He had some weird oven mitt he turned into an alligator, fastened on a stick, that he would snap at all the people who went by. It was ridiculous and totally entertaining. At least he was having fun and not hurting anyone.
On Saturday night, Justin and his roommates hosted a birthday party for a friend's 40th birthday (happy b-day Willie!) and it was loads of fun. Lots of fashion people, lots of fabulous gay men, lots of champagne, and me realizing that my tolerance has dramatically decreased and crawling into bed WAY before the party came to an end. C'est la vie!
Sunday, I spent the day wandering London and shopping. I went to Spitalfields market, Brick Lane, walked along the Thames and shopped on the Portobello Road. Yes, I bought some very fab jewelry (which should come as no surprise to anyone) but I mostly bought books (the English language bookshop in Brussels is tres cher). My favorite purchases are a tie between Russell Brand's autobiography and a guide to the wine regions of France. I am laughing my way through "My Booky Wook" and planning my first visit to French wine country. Delightful!
London is such an amazing city. Everyone says Brussels is such an international city ... and it really is ... but there is nowhere more international than London. It is just a crush of people speaking every langauge under the sun, of every nationality, of every class, and of every walk of life. I almost felt out of place speaking English there. I would LOVE to go back to Brick Lane and spend another day at the Sunday market. Brick Lane is known for being the center of Bengal life in London (there is a great novel called "Brick Lane" if you are interested and someone told me they are making it into a movie). Amidst all of the Bengal shops, they've got food stalls with every cuisine you can imagine ... Russian, Japanese, Chinese, French, Turkish ... anything you want. Definitely my kind of place ...
