A world cup loss, gay pride, and other interesting tidbits

London yesterday was the by far the most interesting London trip that I have ever been on.

For the most part, I really love London. But I realized yesterday as I stood in a crowded tube with several people that hadn't heard of the many riches of deodorant, that every time I have ever been to London (and I have been now going on 6 times) that I have visited in the early spring or winter. Never have I seen so many people all crowded into the city!!! I am so used to my leisurely strolls thru the gardens, the lingering at the palace gates with no one else even remotely bumping into me. Shopping at a half empty Oxford Circus, dining at non crowded restaurant full of locals at Trafalgar Square... or even just leisurely walking up and down the Thames, watching the crazy locals on bike boats and sampling the fruits of the street vendors.

There was none of that yesterday.

There was pushing, shoving, nearly dying on the subway. A heat wave which had people in this part of the country gasping for air and definitely deodorant. SOOO many tourists that at one point I was sure that no one that spoke English actually LIVED in London.

Yesterday also happened to be Europride... a giant gay pride event that takes place in London and seemed to encompass every gay person in Europe. I heard germans, russians, french... the lot. I have seen every form of transsexual, seen every version of leather hot pants, and have seen enough grown men in their underpants to last me a lifetime. They actually shut down entire STREETS for this. Trafalgar - shut down. Oxford - shut down. Leiscter - shut down. It was madness!!!!

Now, take that mental picture (by the way, Stewart's favorite view from that event was the five grown men in leather open backed/front chaps, wearing chains around their necks and black leather masks, chained to a 'master'. ) and add on drunk, young, England fans... chanting profanity of all sorts in the streets. Now, imagine that England lost (not so hard to imagine, because they DID) and try and combine the two. Drunk young TICKED OFF England fans and flaming gay grown men in hotpants, waving around PINK England Flags....

So it was definitely a different side of London.

Next time I go, it will be during the week, off commuter times, and preferably in a season WITHOUT the tourists.