After a couple of days in airports and hotels, it was great to get out and about and remember why I've always enjoyed London. It is truly the most international city I have ever visited. Walking on Queensway, I felt like I was traveling around the world, with Russian, Middle Eastern, Asian, African and European cultures side by side. 
The people on the street and the businesses I passed reflected this diversity, even on the fashionable Kensington High Street. Marks and Sparks is still a good place to buy a sweater, but in the crisp fall weather, I really didn't need one today. My red Mini Cooper has a lot of cousins here.
Walked into a Laura Ashley and it brought back memories of a great trip here with my husband to discover his British roots. My mother-in-law was born in Southampton and we still have some delightful relatives in the south of England near the Isle of Portland.
I also passed by the former home of Princess Diana, Kensington Palace.It seems like the People's Princess died only yesterday, and as the clock in the memorial children's playground reminded me, time flies. 
Queen Victoria and the royal gardens seem timeless, but everywhere this city is on the move toward the 2012 Olympics.
I'm staying in an apartment hotel called Vancouver studios, and my room is a miniature jewel of an apartment, emphasis on the word miniature.
My family will appreciate the fact that the bathroom is even smaller than the one we had in Oporto, and the entire layout is smaller than my son's dorm room at USC. But it's freshly renovated and has pretty good wifi, so I didn't mind much that I had to haul my suitcases up three floors. There's a lovely garden in the back. Easy to see why this place got top marks on Trip Advisor as a great value in a city of super expensive hotels. I'm blogging with a crisp glass of South African chenin blanc, brie and cheddar cheese and water biscuits from Tesco.England swings! Tomorrow I'm taking the day off from networking to get a little culture.
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