And so begins the summer of a lifetime.

It's funny. Here I sit in a Starbucks, using the Wi-Fi to check my email, rain drizzling lazily on the other side of the window. I could be anywhere. And yet.... I'm in London. 

You can see it in the details. The way that all of the streets are bent ever-so-slightly, so that you can make a complete circle without ever turning right or left; how Tube stops and streets have names like "Picadilly" and "Ebury" and "South Kensington;" the smart, mostly black attire of the locals; the beautiful residential streets, white-painted flats with the nicest paned windows -- while Lilli's dad, Mark, commented that most metropolises are actually just international cities detached from their host countries (London is much more multi-racial than I anticipated) there is something distinctly English about this place. Of course, there are the most obvious signs, like the over-abundance of double decker buses and red telephone booths, but mostly it's just a very different vibe that distinguishes London from other cities I've been to. The people are pretty no-nonsense, but very helpful. 

It's been a whirlwind of a trip thus far. I arrived late Saturday evening, exhausted after moving all of my college things into storage and then traveling from Boston. Although it was around 11:00pm when I got back to their place, Mark had cheese and crackers waiting for me -- a welcome sight. I discovered my new favorite food that night: CRUMPETS. So good! They're a different (in fact, probably the original) version of an English muffin, but much tastier. The way the butter sinks into the spongy holes, dribbling down your chin while it's hot... indescribable. On the whole, I've been fed very well since I've been here. I'm convinced that the rumors of bad English food are false. Last night, we went to Thomas Cubitt's, named after the builder responsible for Sloan Square and the whole area around where they live. We had a great spread of food, including some real English gems like mushy peas, pickled onions, cauliflower soup, fish and chips (of course) and Pimm's and lemonade. Quite tasty. 

Mostly yesterday we just walked around the residential areas -- and by "residential" I mean that we passed by Margaret Thatcher's house and where Mozart used to compose his symphonies -- but today we're seeing more of the sights. Lilli took me out to breakfast this morning at the Wolseley, a wonderful place to eat that's quite fancy but very nice. I had greek yogurt with gooseberry compote, served in a silver goblet-like bowl; an incredible almond croissant; and some fancy eggy, French pastry -- all paired with some good English breakfast tea, of course. That's the kind of morning I live for.

Today I'll be headed to the Victoria and Albert Museum while Lilli visits her grandparents, hit up the National Gallery this afternoon, and later tonight we'll do a driving tour of London and maybe head into Chinatown for dinner. Tomorrow we plan on going to the Tate Modern and St. Paul's Cathedral, but we'll see where the day takes us. 

It's been a lovely start so far. I'm excited to see more, but I recognize that there's much of London I won't be able to see during my quick visit. That's alright; it just means I have to come back again soon. 

I'll try and keep you updated, but my correspondence is strictly dependent on Wi-Fi availability. In the meantime, Cheers!