Kangaroos and Rhinos and Europeans, oh my!

Wow, what a weird, eventful couple of days it's been!

First, sad news to report: yesterday, a man was found "expired" in Bedford Square Gardens, which is literally across the street for 6 Bedford Square (hence the name).  It is a key garden, so you'd think only the residents have a key to the gates.  It's all quite mysterious and spooky...I hope they resolve it soon, but meanwhile, it feels quite safe because there are constables at every corner of the park.  We saw them there even patrolling last night around 10:30pm.  Mom, if you're reading this, don't worry, I'm safe and everything!  People have died in worse ways back in New York...

Then, way better news: I went to see my first West End show last night!  LOVE NEVER DIES, and oh gosh, my love for Phantom-related stuff will never die.  I have a feeling that only fans of Phantom of the Opera will actually understand and enjoy this play, but boy am I a PHAN!  The music is beaaaaaautiful, as are the props and effects.  I won't give anything away; you'll have to see it in November on Broadway!  The only thing: I was still a bit sick and I was sniffling the whole time through my stuffy nose, but the end does have something to sniffle/cry about.  !!!  Overall, it was an amazing experience and I am listening to my newly-bought soundtrack.  Over and over again.

Today, we did some London sightseeing before leaving for holiday.  Our first destination was St. Paul's Cathedral, just to peek around the front for a photo opportunity.  Then, we walked across the Millennium Bridge towards the Tate Modern.  The Tate Modern is honestly not so impressive.  The only things that were cool, I suppose, were the building itself and the one Monet Water Lilies painting, Roudin sculpture, and Andy Warhol prints.  Otherwise, meh.  Then, we walked to the nearby Borough Market.  It's basically like the Union Square farmers' market, but bigger and badder.  London has several famous markets, and I still have to visit Portobello and Camden Markets.  Borough is really cool.  I actually had a mindblowing experience here: I ATE A KANGAROO BURGER.  YOU READ RIGHT.  There was a stall that sold exotic meats like ostrich, kangaroo, zebra, antelope...!?  I think it's quite unethical to kill these sorts of animals for their meat, but my friend bought a burger and offered me a bite.  It didn't taste like anything in particular, just meaty and gamey.  I couldn't get over the fact that I was eating kangaroo, and the thought still makes me kind of queasy...

Then, we made a long trek up the Strand to Chinatown.  Meanwhile, we stopped at Twinings (love) and Covent Garden.  I busted my foot a little and lost a shoe on the street, but it's all good.  At Chinatown, my friends ate at a strange Malaysian place while I planned the next leg of my journey.

I have been planning to meet one of my mom's colleagues who lives here in London and goes to New York City every so often.  She was a consultant at the place my mom used to work, and she offered to be a contact for me here in London.  I figure it's about time to meet up with her, so we decided 7pm tonight.  Incidentally, my roommie and I got to South Kensington by 6:50pm, but my mom's friend arrived at 7:40pm.  In her defense, there was traffic, and her husband drove.  We piled into their car (my first time in a UK car!  BACKWARDS STEERING WHEEL, SO ODD) and they took us to Fulham for dinner.  We ate at a nice burger place with several of their other adult friends.  It was a great dinner overall, a fantastic new experience for my roommate and me.

First of all, my mom's friend is an amazing and admirable woman.  She was born in France/near Germany; she is Arabic/Moroccan by ethnicity; she was raised in Paris; she lives in London now.  Her husband is Iraqi.  Her friends who dined with us were: a German, an Iraqi woman who looked absolutely German but spoke fluent French, a British-Italian, a Frenchwoman, and a British-Lebanese.  What an absolutely diverse dinner table (plus these two Oriental Yankees - not the baseball team, as we learned the hard way)!  My mom's friend warned us beforehand that her friends were definitely very rowdy, but I found them hilarious and fun.  I mean, undoubtedly, it was a bit awkward because we were the two outliers eating dinner with them.  Still, they were totally nice when we met, giving us both multiple European-double-cheek kisses.  They even (jokingly) invited us to Spearmint Rhino with them for the afterparty.  I think Spearmint Rhino is a gentleman's club/strip club.  It was fun for me to just watch their conversation, and hope that in 20 years or so, I'd have such great friends with whom to share such a dinner.  Finally, dinner wrapped up around 11:40pm, and they drove us back to the Tube.  We were a bit frightened since the Tube closes down at 12:30am (no 24-hour trains, can you believe?!) but we got home really quickly and safely.

What a night!