Cosmopolitan City

(wrote it on February 28, 2005)

I'm starting to understand the city's groove. Here don't lack things to do. Strolling along the London streets is already some inspiration for a good laugh just because of the people who cross my way. I won't explain, just saying that are tons of people around, it makes it easy enough for many of them to be "strange". This on my way to the restaurant "O Fado", where I had an excellent steak, with the typical fried egg on top, having Amália as a company, and pushed down by a Super Bock (Portuguese beer), while chatting with António (a bon vivant from Angola, supporter of the life that London has to offer during the last 21 years, fan of Jazz, expensive watches and ties, visits "spread the seed" to the south of Asia - sponsored by the presidency of Portugal (it's true... I think that I end up meeting some of the big ones in London, a place where crossing with some hangover Jude Law on a Sunday morning coming from a club is a reality) - and that has the £25 needed to get into Ronnie Scott's (a place where who's someone in the world of Jazz has played)). Well, I was saying that on my way through this East area of the city is easy to see passing by all the top models of all the brands I know, are they cars, women, or whatever. Cosmopolitan is the right word.
The night at Koko had excellent electro moments, where Trevor Jackson, 2Many Dj's and DJ Tiga made loads of people move... well, at the beginning was more complicated. These people from here seem that can only have fun while drunk, even if the music is of high quality. In spite of the night only kicked off at 23 (late for the standards) and the club being full, the dance floor was empty, leaving DJ Manhead spinning his LPs just to give some mood at the club. Here is the place to see big characters (a guy with his head shaved leaving only two pig tails of hair over his ears till his shoulders, like a poodle, takes the first prize), the girls really dress like it's Summer, but even so, are still British girls.... When Tiga stepped on stage to start with his set, the women crowd freaked out... strange...
Next day, non stop. Waking up at lunch time, eat, meet lots of people at the Student's Residence reception, go up to my room to get something warmer and join the group to go for an exhibition, "Turks", about the history of the Turk empire from 600-1600, warm my face with a late afternoon sun that was a bit shy (but it showed up!), coffee with the survivors from the culture dose, at Starbucks (well, I guess I'll have to get used to pay £2 for a shity coffee, served in "breakfast milk" mugs), short walk in Green Park and Hyde Park with another Portuguese girl and a Serbian guy, an espresso at Bar Italia (very good, well brewed and with the typical italian style, but still for the same £2 of Starbucks... I'm fucked!), dinner at a Moroccan with xixa and tea included (for the modest amount of £20 each) with one greek and a "local" who joined us - the price is directly proportional to the pleasure the dinner gave me ;) - and a small dancing moves at "Freud", a bar where "Pixies rules" and where every week they show a new art work from some unknown Londoner.
I think that if end up not liking this city, for sure is not for being boring!

The beginning...

(Wrote on February 25, 2005)

What a depressing city... luckily it's just the first day! Watching snow falling can be pretty, at home, of course. Also, walking along the streets can be nice, but in London... in the cold... in the middle of hordes of people! I need to bring the Sun to this people!
You can see amazing things, a man running with lycra shorts and a t-shirt, with negative temperatures and while snowing. I head for Hyde Park, and there yes, it starts the hardcore scene, there are more the ones who're running, and plenty with small shorts and t-shirt... An old man passes near me, running. But this one is smarter, he's wearing a jumper. Somebody with some brains!
The first impression is that everything is huge. I walked for nearly 4 hours on very wide streets, full of people, endless streets that in the map seem tiny. The shops are great! I went to a shop of adventure gear (mountain wear, backpacks, maps, compasses and likewise) and everyone was friendly, even after I said I wasn't going to buy anything, just watching, I had a class about "Gore-Tex" and different models of rain-jackets. It's a little like Morocco but the opposite, here they just want to show and explain, not for selling!
In the meanwhile, already searched where is the "Rough Trade", a music store where I'm going to buy the ticket tomorrow for a crazy night at Koko. And I haven't been here for 24 hours yet...