It's hard to say goodbye...

During my last day in London by myself, I walked around the area where I lived in Canary Wharf - through the Dockland's sailing center to Asda to buy some chocolates and gifts for people, looked at the boats, the weird looking water fowl floating about with their white beaks, dark feathers and beady red eyes, and tried to let all of it sink in.   The Thames river by my house that day wasn't spilling over into the wharf area behind my flat.  Usually when that happened you'd get all sorts of delightful gifts from the river like old tin cans, a shopping cart, and plastic drink bottles.  It was just part of the charm of living where I lived. 

I took my last ride on a double decker bus as a resident.  I believe it was the D7 that I usually took to go to Bricklane and Mile end so I could take the Central line to town and walk to China town/Leicester Square area.  I rode on the top, of course in the front right corner so that the branches would hit the front of the windows as we went (as American's would say) on the wrong side of the street. 

I wanted to visit Borough market to get some Monmouth coffee - the best coffee ever really - but I think they were closed at the time because it wasn't yet the weekend.  They have this all you can eat Paul's baguettes, fresh butter, and preserves for 2 pounds 80p that was so delicious with their lattes.  So I just walked around the closed borough market and remember how thrilled I was just walking through, hearing all the accents, looking at all the wonderful veggies, pastries, and cheeses, and feeling like I was a visitor to a wonderful new world.

 I realized that I felt more a part of London than I felt a part of any other city I've ever been in.  I think part of it is my sense of adventure.  London is a great place to travel to any other part of the world.  Within 45 minutes I could be in Ireland.  Within 2 hours I could be in Rome. TIckets cost anywhere from 30GBP to 90GBP per roundtrip.  How amazing was that?  Another reason is my ties with how multicultural the city was.  I know a lot of people think that cities like Chicago and New York are multicultural.  But really mostly it's Hispanic, Black, and White.  In London it's S. African, Australian, Kenyan, Nigerian, Sri Lanken, Mongolian, Polish, Russian, Korean, Malaysian, the list goes on.  It just made me feel like I could easily blend in and I love meeting different people (and eating) all the fun foods there. 

I walked along the Thames by London Bridge and saw Saints paul cathedral along the river path looming across the water.  I saw the London eye and house of parliment.  It just didn't feel real that this city that I have come to love and loves me was no longer going to be a big part of my life anymore.  Sure I can visit.  But it's different.  It's just so...difficult sometimes to not be there.

I really want to wake up and be in my old bedroom, say hi to my flatmates James as I walk out the door, and go see jugglers at Covent Garden while perusing the little shops.  I want to duck into Pineapple studios for a butt kicking day of dance workshops, and then run over to Chinatown - Hong Kong Cafe to meet up with Sarah for cheap dinner while she scrunches her nose at my sweaty salt crunchy self.  I want to go to Marks and Spencers for an overpriced but completely delicious and worth it fruit salad.  I want to be able to go over to Amelia's house for a S. African Brai and get too hungry as they get the fire going and end up eating ramen while the chicken wings are being grilled. 

I want to have the entire city shut down with 3 inches of snow on the ground so that my friends and I can stay home and make snow forts and inappropriate snowmen/women. 

I want to be able to say that I want a weekend in Vienna and be able to do it the next weekend.

Why can't I just let it go?