Sleepless in South Kensington
*New Random Adventure Update*
Due to unnaturally long nights lasting long through the sunrise, my circadian rhythm is not exactly at its best. Needless to say, after a few hours of tossing and turning in my bed last night, I looked out my window to see rays of sunlight starting to creep in despite my curtains best efforts to keep them out. I realized there wasn’t a chance of me falling asleep in the next few hours and decided to be productive and take advantage of my wakefulness. Now I’m a sucker for sunrises, and I figured I could get to Hyde Park and see the sun rise up over the lake while seeing a side of London I normally wouldn’t be awake for. So I threw on a sweater, a hat, a scarf, and grabbed my camera and the airplane blanket that somehow ended up in my bag on the flight over (I couldn’t fit my comforter in my suitcase and didn’t know how long it would be until I could get around to buying one). Now Hyde park is beautiful, no doubt. However, it seemed a little planned with not as much of a natural feel to it as I would have expected. However, I’m sure it will be quite a popular destination for me when the sun decides to shine its face over London. I’m already in the works of planning a picnic for all the musicians I have met where we can just play music over pita and hummus and introduce each other to new kinds of music and new kinds of picnic food. However, all in due time. Getting back to the morning, Hyde Park has already been filled with adventures. I wandered around while I waited for the sun to rise above the tree line and stumbled upon more potential trees to both climb and read under, hideouts for intimate moments, and paths to walk, maybe even jog if I’m feeling really confident that day.
Throughout the morning I had three great conversations. One was with a black Swedish man here on business who went on and on about the diversity in London, compared to his description of the Swedes, and I quote “I feel like I am the only person in the country who is not white, blond haired, and blue eyes.” It made me think, and I realized that I am lucky enough to have always lived in such diverse places that I never felt like the overwhelming majority or minority. After he moved on to get a cup of tea, I went to head back toward a bridge I found that seemed like a wonderful place to watch the sunrise. Not surprisingly I wasn’t the only one who thought it would be a nice place to see the sun. There was another man there who I started up a conversation with. He described himself as a temporary resident of Hyde Park. Resident of Hyde Park may hint that theres a story behind that. He told me how he came to London for work, lost the job, couldn’t pay bills, and as of recently moved into the park. He seemed to change the story throughout the conversation, so I’m not sure how truthful it was, but nonetheless interesting to hear. After catching a few pictures of the sunrise, I moved on to a pond I saw on a map, where I stumbled upon hundreds of birds swimming about. I saw easily thirty birds surrounding this one family, so I walked near them to see how the birds were coming so close. As I approached I saw the family had a loaf of bread and were feeding the birds. They offered a piece of bread to me to feed the ducks and I more than happily took them up on the offer. The giant swans, ducks, and smaller birds surrounded me. The swans were incredible, easily four and a half feet tall with their necks extended. After thanking the family and wishing them a great holiday (they were visiting from Delhi), I headed back to campus to get a cup of tea before heading to sleep for a few hours before class.
Disclaimer: I am aware I look like a bum in the picture, but it was cold and it was all I had.
Musicwise: Some electronics I just heard about, its older but this isn’t a music blog so chill…and enjoy
Discovery – I Want You Back (Michael Jackson Cover) (right click + Save As)
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