This and That

So, this is likely to be a bit of a hodge-podge of a post.  I wanted to provide an update on the vegetarian diet and stuff, but also wanted to post on some fun, cheap stuff going on in London.

First, the diet.  I’ve settled into being mostly vegetarian, with the occasional piece of seafood.  I actually haven’t found it that difficult.  I can’t say I miss meat all that much.  Its only annoying when I’m going out to eat and I want to find something veggie that doesn’t have too many carbs!  It seems like vegetarian options usually involve rice, bread, or pasta... how annoying!  Hence the fish.  Its a healthy option, and its not like I’m going “vegetarian” for ethical reasons.  I guess this makes me pescatarian? 

Anyways, the low carb, low fat, mostly veggie diet has been working!  Since I’ve gone back to my support group I’ve been weighed on a weekly basis and I’ve lost 2 kg!  Yay!  I’m already feeling so much better about my body, its amazing.  Which is good, because the weather has been amazing.

This weekend was pretty chill for me, but I had a really good time being outdoors in the sunshine.  This is London, when its sunny you have to take advantage of it.  First off, I saw a Banksy!  He recently painted on a wall near the BT Tower, and luckily the art has been preserved with plexiglass (as opposed to being painted over) so we can all enjoy it!  Its on the corners of Cleveland and Clipstone Streets in Fitzrovia.  

On Saturday I went to the South Bank Centre.  They’ve set up a beach along the Thames Path there, so you can have a seat by the river and stick your feet in the sand:

Pardon my vein-y feet.  Photo colors are a bit off, blame the iPhone.

They also have a bunch of bars set up.  Dishoom, an Indian street food restaurant, has set up a pop-up bar there that serves drinks, kulfi (Indian ice cream), and street food snacks.  There is a really cute garden on the top of Queen Elizabeth Hall and they’ve set up a bar there, too.  Then there are the regular bars, like the one at Royal Festival Hall and in front of the BFI.  The area was packed and its a great place to enjoy the sun.

Today I took an 8km walk that was fantastic.  I love walking, especially in London on a nice day.  I walk everywhere if I have the time--most days I walk about 5km from Euston Station to my home near London Bridge.  If I’m going anywhere in Central London--Covent Garden, Soho, Oxford Street, or even the Kensington area (South Ken or Kings Road), I’ll walk.  I happened to be at a friend’s in Earl’s Court today and decided to take a walk home that took advantage of some of London’s parks.  So here’s some of the highlights of the route:

1) Hyde Park
2) Green Park
3) Buckingham Palace
4) St James Park
5) Parliament and Big Ben
6) Westminster Bridge
7) London Eye!
8) Leake St (go here to see the latest graffiti)