Portrait

last night we went to this pub nearby called mango landing. it was truly lovely. very warm, friendly atmosphere, and a very mixed crowd. lots of happy south american people. we were also with a pretty happy and drunk bunch of south american women, from brazil, argentina and also from peru. they were all so nice. everyone just drank and danced to really old swing music that just does not get played anym0re…anywhere.

today was the london gay pride march. i dont know if anyone back home even knows about this, but here its a clossal event. there are literally tens of thousands of lesbian/gay people that get together in groups and march from the hyde park corner to trafalgar square. there are these colourful floats for different groups and organizations, and everyone is just ‘out and proud’. everything is so flambouyantly done, and the air itself was just buzzing with happiness. everyone was just enjoying themselves so much. you have to see the photos to believe some of the things i saw today…unbelievable. all the guys were to die for, it’s too bad they were all impossibly gay. after the official march, everyone watching joins in too, at the end, and then the whole procession winds up at the trafalgar square, and there’s music and bands and stalls. sir ian mckellan (good old galdalf from the lord of the rings movies) was just one of the few openly gay public figures that addressed the crowd at the square. there was a member of parliament, doctors, lawyers, even real top notch cops. it was just beautiful. it was a thrilling, one of a kind experience. i dont think i’ve ever seen so many happy people in one gathering. there were some amazingly colurful and vibrant get ups, and everyone was so nice and welcoming. i loved the part where a woman welcomed ‘every gay man, every lesbian woman, and everyone who is straight that didnt get into live8′. live 8 was happening just around the corner too, 200,00 people there. people even went there after the gay pride march. there were also the wimbledon men’s semi final (roddick won) and the women’s final (williams won), and also an england/australia one day cricket match (they drew). london was the place to be today. even if you weren’t here for live8.

then we went to this picnic of a friend of our’s, lovely peruvian lady. it was on a hill called primrose hill, which is the posh part of town. apparently jude law lives there. the picnic was just divine, there was chocolate cake and these heavenly strawberries. the view from the top of the hill where we were was breathtaking, you could practically see the whole of london. but towards the latter part of the evening, the weather just got cold and miserable. i hope it doesnt stay this grey and gloomy. it would be tragic.

anyway, that was that. i miss the sun, and the beach.