A good start to 2009!

(view from my hotel room)

Well, hallo mates!

Alreet, alreet, I'll try to refrain from sounding like the Geico Gekko by using annoying British-sounding language. Of course, the fact that I'm not British is the only thing that makes it annoying, as it sounds quite lovely coming from the handsome chaps on the street, doesn't it? Ok, I'll stop (bloody hell).

Anyway, I flew across the pond yesterday from NYC without a hitch. In fact, Jan 2nd, 2009, was probably the luckiest day of the year for me (ok, let's hope this good year doesn't end here) . Not only was I not charged for over 100 lbs in overweight baggage (the credit card system was down, thank you technology!), but I also didn't get a stinky, nor drunk, nor huge person on either side of my London-bound plane seat. I hate middle seats (which you get when you book your flight a week in advance), but aside from taking their shoes off (take note please, spare thy neighbors), I couldn't complain about the British and Indian twenty-somethings next to me. The cherry topping off the hitch-less day, was that my original nice mid-size, 3-4 star hotel in Leicester Square was full. So, oh and behold, I had to endure the arduous task of switching to their 5-star sister hotel across the street, with an even better room and view of London. Now, I can sit on my bed, or my couch, or the toilet if you may, and stare at good old Big Ben clock tower, London Eye, or the statue on Trafalgar Square (I really must read up on who that is), take your pick!

After 11 hours of delightful rest, I woke up this morning, a little confused as to where I was. Once I realized I was on British soil, I scolded myself about how I dare waste the day away sleeping! Then I remembered I'm here for 6-8 months, there's plenty of time to become a local!

So I did what any London local would, and got myself to Starbucks at Borders. Ok, I'm only kidding, but as I made my way down the historical narrow European streets, I was a bit saddened that American franchises have taken over many nooks and crannies of what should be an authentic European landscape. Don't get me wrong, I ADORE Starbucks (though much prefer Barnes & Noble to Borders), but other than when I'm feeling nostalgic for home, I would much rather take in a capuccino or latte at a sidewalk cafe that boasts of British-looking citizens.

Which brings me to my next topic...how does one describe what a British person looks like? I've tried to dissect that in my head to no avail, but there's something that definitely sets them apart. First off, they're more stylish. For instance, as I made my way down Charing Cross Road during my first stroll around town as a wannabe local, two couples walked by me. One couple were dressed in dark-colored wool coats, wearing Burberry scarves and probably Burberry glasses, and most likely Burberry loafers. In other words, Burberry-chic. The other couple looked like they were dressed to jog (but they were definitely strolling), wearing North Face fleeces, sweatpants, and New Balance sneakers. Not that they looked bad, but c'mon. Nothing screams "I'm a tourist- from America!" like fanny-packs, sneakers, and a clear exchange of comfort over chic. Trust me, you CAN be both! (Oh and by the way, the handsome couple had a British accent, and guess what kind of accent the other couple had...)

So anyway, other than looks, there's a certain confidence to being British, and even European as a whole, and that's what I'm trying to obtain while I'm here. Yes, I do consider myself to be fairly confident in who I am, but one can always improve, right? I think I'd like to have the quiet, subtle, beautiful, serene confidence of someone like Gwyneth Paltrow, who I consider practically British. I mean, she's married to Chris Martin from Coldplay, which is Britain's #1 band. Ok fine, maybe I should strive to be more like Madonna! Ok, she's not British either, but she practically is! Ok, I've got it! Kate Winslet or Keira Knightley. There ya go, and their names both start with K like mine. I've found my role models while I'm here.

Until next time, cheerio!

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