Moments of Reflection

June 2 12:10pm
Tavistock Square Park, London

After a lot of rain yesterday, the sun is finally out this afternoon. I'm waiting for my dear friend Niyantha to reach the hotel, and there's no better way to spend it than with a book in my hand and the warm sunshine on my skin. I amble over to the park next to my hotel. It's a beautiful patch of land in the midst of the bustling city: massive trees wave gently with the wind, shedding their leaves ever so often. A cobblestone path crosses through the park, lined with quait benches. I plop down on the grass, my tummy tickled every now an then by a wayward blade and start reading...soon oblivious to the world around me.

After a while, I get bored of the book...after all it's one of those heavy management ones. I take to my other favoite activity: people watching. A couple of gardeners toil away, whistling at every pretty lady that walks by. A serious man in a business suit hurries to eat his lunch while typing away on his blackberry. A middle-aged woman patienty helps her spastic friend take sips of a Starbucks frappé. A group of college kids sit nearby in a circle on the grass, chattering and giggling.

It's amazing how this little park insulates me from the outside world. I can barely hear the traffic on the streets bordering the park. I lazily turn over and lie on my back on the warm grass. The sunshine soothes my skin as I close my eyes and smile to myself. I can't think of any place back home where I can do this, especially in the middle of a big city. I feel at peace, convinced that there's no better way to start off my Eurotrip.